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Pakistan says its nuclear programme can be made available to Saudi Arabia under their new defence pact
The Island
|September 22, 2025
Pakistan's Defence Minister has said the country's nuclear programme "will be made available" to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries' new defence pact.
This marks the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad has put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.
Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif's comments late Thursday (18 September, 2025) night underlined the importance of the pact struck between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The two countries have had military ties for decades.
The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed nation.
It comes after Israel's attack, targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety amid the Israel-Hamas war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.
This story is from the September 22, 2025 edition of The Island.
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