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Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact Sets Dangerous Nuclear Precedent: Report

A new report highlights that the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan undermines global nuclear non-proliferation efforts. The pact commits both nations to treat an attack on one as an attack on both, potentially extending Pakistan's nuclear deterrence to a non-nuclear ally. Analysts warn this sets a dangerous precedent for nuclear-armed states operating outside established treaties. The agreement's ambiguity and secretive nature raise serious concerns about public scrutiny and the risk of humanitarian catastrophe.

Key Points: Saudi-Pakistan Defence Deal Undermines Global Nuclear Norms

  • Pact formalizes attack-on-one-is-attack-on-both commitment
  • Raises question of Pakistan extending nuclear umbrella
  • Undermines Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
  • Sets precedent for extended nuclear deterrence
2 min read

Saudi-Pakistan defence agreement undermines global nuclear norms: Report

Report warns Saudi-Pakistan strategic defence agreement sets a precedent for nuclear proliferation, challenging global disarmament treaties.

"This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means. - Saudi official"

Geneva, March 4

For the advocates of global disarmament, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan undermines both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the humanitarian logic behind the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which categorically rejects the legitimacy of nuclear weapons under any security framework, a report has highlighted.

"On 17 September 2025, Saudi Arabia - a member of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty - and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement. The pact commits both states to treat any attack on one as an attack on both, formalising a long-standing security partnership and signalling a shift in Gulf states' security away from exclusive reliance on the United States," a report in 'International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons' (ICAN) detailed.

Although the official text of the agreement has not been published, when asked whether it included the use of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, the report quoted a Saudi official as saying: "This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means."

"For its part, Pakistan has not officially said it has extended nuclear protection to Saudi Arabia. Yet the context and subsequent comments have inevitably raised the question: Has Pakistan, for the first time, effectively extended a nuclear umbrella to a non-nuclear ally - and what precedent does that set?" the report questioned.

The report cited analysts at London-based think tank Chatham House who warned that the pact "sets a precedent for extended deterrence" by the nuclear-armed Pakistan outside the NPT, despite no direct reference to nuclear weapons.

According to Pakistani media, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said: "What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available under this agreement", a remark widely seen as referring to the country's nuclear forces.

While he later insisted that nuclear weapons were "not on the radar", the report said, the senior Saudi official described the deal as a comprehensive defence agreement without explicitly ruling out nuclear possibilities.

"The use of nuclear weapons would indiscriminately maim and kill people around the world, but policies about nuclear use are kept secret from citizens of nuclear-armed and nuclear-allied states, from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to Germany and the United States. This is a problem. The public deserves to have the information to scrutinise nuclear policies and discuss their implications for a humanitarian catastrophe," said Alicia Sanders-Zakre, ICAN's Head of Policy.

--IANS

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- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priyanka N
The report makes a valid point about secrecy. Citizens in both countries, and indeed all of us in the region, deserve to know what this "comprehensive" agreement entails. Nuclear policies shouldn't be decided behind closed doors when they affect millions of lives. Transparency is crucial. 🤔
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Aman W
From an Indian security perspective, this formalizes an alliance we've long suspected. It changes the calculus in the Gulf. Our foreign policy needs to be agile and build stronger ties with other Gulf nations to ensure our energy security and counterbalance this shift.
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Sarah B
While I understand the security concerns, the ICAN report's humanitarian argument is the most compelling. The focus should be on the catastrophic human cost of any nuclear exchange, anywhere. Global disarmament should be the ultimate goal, not new nuclear umbrellas.
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Vikram M
The wording is classic diplomatic doublespeak – "all military means" and "capabilities we possess". Everyone knows what they're hinting at. It's a signal to Iran and others. Makes you wonder how the US feels about its traditional Gulf allies looking elsewhere for security guarantees.
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Karthik V
Respectfully, the article and some comments seem to only view this through a India-Pakistan lens. The larger issue is the erosion of the global non-proliferation regime. If NPT members like Saudi Arabia engage in such ambiguous pacts with nuclear states outside the NPT, the whole treaty becomes meaningless. That's bad for the world.

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