NEW DELHI: The Ministry of external affairs on Friday said India shares a “wide-ranging strategic partnership” with Saudi Arabia, one that has “deepened considerably” in recent years. Responding to queries on the Saudi Arabia–Pakistan defence pact, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”His remarks came after Riyadh and Islamabad signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” earlier this week, triggering speculation over whether Saudi Arabia could gain access to Pakistan’s nuclear shield amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.The pact, announced on Wednesday, brings together Saudi Arabia’s financial clout and Pakistan’s military, the only nuclear-armed force in the Muslim world. Few details have been disclosed, though Saudi officials have described it as covering “all military means.” Analysts told Reuters that the deal signals declining confidence in the United States as a long-term security guarantor for Gulf states.Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif maintained that nuclear weapons were “not on the radar” of the agreement, saying: “We have no intention of using this pact for any aggression. But if the parties are threatened, then obviously this arrangement will become operative.” He added the framework could be extended to other Gulf nations. Riyadh, however, has previously stated it would pursue nuclear weapons if Iran obtained them.
