Pakistan-Saudi Defence Deal: Pretextto Proliferate Tech related to Islamic Bomb?

Between 1986 & 2001, Iran received key components related to the nuclear bomb

- AJAY KAUL

he Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia a few days back, under which the two countries have pledged to consider an attack on one nation as an attack on both, has triggered questions in India regarding its real and hidden objectives.

India, faced with never-ending hostility from Pakistan, will definitely study the implications of the Pakistan-Saudi agreement in its pursuit to protect the national interests as it has promised to do so.

But for India, the comforting aspect is that its relations with Saudi Arabia have improved substantially in the recent past and it is highly unlikely that Riyadh will join, or even help Pakistan, in case of an armed conflict between the two South Asian neighbours.

Saudi Arabia, under the present regime, is, in any case, not like Turkey which remains every ready to jump in to help Pakistan, under the pretext of ‘Islamic brotherhood’ and its ambitions to become the leader of the Muslim nations.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia has a lot of business interests in India, which is one of the largest importers of its petroleum products. So, it is highly unlikely that Saudi Arabia would be a part of any future armed conflict between Pakistan and India.

However, there is a much bigger aspect of concern in the Pakistan-Saudi agreement regarding which the entire world should be alarmed, ice., proliferation of nuclear weapons by Pakistan.

Pakistan, after developing the atom bomb and testing it in May 1998, has been portraying it as the “Islamic Bomb’, implying that this catastrophe-caus-ing arsenal is available for use ofany Muslim country against anonMuslim nation.

Similar indications have emerged from Pakistan after it signed the deal on September 17, 2025, with its Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying his country’s nuclear capabilities could be extended to Saudi Arabia under the pact.