Here’s how India reacted to Pakistan’s security pact with Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed a pact on Wednesday where the two countries agreed they would treat an attack any one of them would be treated as an attack on both.The pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is significant, coming as it is, close on the heels of Israel’s unprovoked attack on Qatar. The establishment in Tel Aviv, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is yet to acknowledge the pact.

Before the defense pact was signed, Iran dispatched Ali Larijani, a senior political figure who now serves as the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, to visit Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

India’s reaction to Pakistan’s defence pact with Saudi Arabia“The Government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (Sep 18).

“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The Government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains,” the statement from India added.
History of Pakistan’s military ties with Saudi ArabiaPakistani troops first traveled to Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s when Egypt was in war a in Yemen. Islamabad sent forces to Riyadh after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The Saudi Kingdom provided ‘generous financial support’ helping Pakistan build its first nuclear weapon, an AP report said, quoting a book written by retired Pakistani Brigadier, General Feroz Hassan Khan.

As of June 2025, Pakistan had 170 nuclear warheads, according to data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well as disarmament and arms control.

In a 2007 U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks, American diplomats in Saudi Arabia noted that their Pakistani counterparts had brought up the idea of the kingdom pursuing a weapons program alongside Islamabad.

“According to these officials, they understand that (Saudi Arabia) does want to protect itself and the region, and since, in their opinion, some of the other regional players — specifically Egypt — are unable to develop such weapons systems due to financial constraints, it is logical for the Saudis to step in as the physical ‘protector’ just as the they have been increasingly stepping in as peace mediators in various regional conflicts,” the cable read.

Saudi has been pushing for its own nuclear arsenal, as a counter to similar efforts in Iran.

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