News - World: Pakistan’s defense minister says the country’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, as the two countries signed a new defense pact this week after Israel stretched its strikes to the Persian Gulf region.

Asked whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia, Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Geo TV on Thursday night, “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,” Asif added.

Islamabad and Riyadh reached a defense agreement on Wednesday, declaring that “any aggression against either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia will be treated as an aggression against both states.”

The deal was signed after Israel launched airstrikes on the headquarters of Hamas in Doha, in what was described as an "assassination operation" that claimed the lives of several members of the Palestinian resistance movement as well as a Qatari security officer. However, the group’s top leadership, including Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Meshal, and Zaher Jabarin, survived.

The attack sparked new concerns among the Persian Gulf Arab nations about their safety, as Israel’s attacks have devastated the Gaza Strip and stretched across Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.

Speaking at the interview, Asif also slammed Israel for not disclosing its nuclear weapons program to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“We have not named any country whose attack would automatically trigger a retaliatory response. Neither has Saudi Arabia named any country, nor have we,” Asif said.

“This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party — from any side — it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response,” he added.

Asked if others could join the pact, the minister added, “I can say the door is not closed to others.”

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar echoed Asif's remarks. “It is premature to say anything, but after this development, other countries have also expressed a desire for similar arrangements,” he said. 

“Such things follow due process. Even with Saudi Arabia, it took several months to finalize,” Dar told reporters in London in televised remarks.

Source: Press TV