Pakistan’s defence minister has said his country’s nuclear arsenal could be extended to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact, marking Islamabad’s first explicit acknowledgement of such an arrangement.

Speaking to Geo TV late Thursday, Khawaja Mohammad Asif said: “Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield. What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to [Saudi Arabia] according to this agreement.”

The comments underscore the significance of the defence pact signed on Wednesday, which declares that an attack on one nation would be treated as an attack on both.

Analysts say the move is a clear signal to Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state. It comes days after an Israeli strike in Qatar killed six people, deepening fears in Gulf capitals already rattled by the Israel-Hamas war.

Asif also criticised Israel for refusing to disclose its suspected nuclear weapons program to international monitors. “This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides,” he said. “If there is aggression against either party, from any side, it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, did not immediately comment. Israel has remained silent on the pact.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar suggested the agreement could expand: “After this development, other countries have also expressed a desire for similar arrangements.”

Saudi Arabia has long been suspected of supporting Pakistan’s nuclear programme financially. Pakistan, which developed its arsenal to counter India, is believed to hold about 170 warheads, nearly equal to its neighbor’s 172, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

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