Islamabad:
Pakistan has clarified that its landmark strategic mutual defense agreement (SMDA) with Saudi -Arabia is “purely defensive in nature” and not aimed at any third country.
The pact would not only strengthen bilateral defense cooperation, but also contributes to regional peace, security and stability, spokesman for the Foreign Office Shafqat Ali Khan said at a weekly news briefing on Friday.
He said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “enjoy a long and prominent story of fraternity and cooperation” with bilateral connections described as “unique, persistent and multifaceted”. The cord in both countries, he added, shares a vision of raising the relationship to new heights.
“Since the 1960s, defense cooperation has served as one of the most important pillars of Pakistan-Saudi Arabia, all-encompassing bilateral relations. The strategic mutual defense agreement formalizes this decades old and robust defense partners,” Khan said while answering questions.
The spokesman further stated that the relationship between the two nations “lives in people’s hearts”. Pakistanis, he added, has special feelings for Saudi -Arabia as the country Makkah and Medina, and respects the royal family for being custody of the holy places.
The official statement, jointly issued by the two countries, is self -explanatory, he said, adding that “anyone wrongly placed attribution or speculation about hypothetical scenarios is unjustified.”
Islamabad and Riyadh signed the historic SMDA on Wednesday and declared that attacks on both country would be considered against both. The pact was signed between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a day -long visit to the Saudi capital.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have many years of strategic and defense cooperation, but SMDA is seen as significant based on recent development, including Israeli strikes on Qatar.
However, a Saudi official told Reuters that the agreement was not intended to respond to any specific event rather reflected the long -standing strategic cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh.
The agreement marks a significant milestone in bilateral tapes, which has long rested on close defense and security cooperation. For decades, Pakistani military teachers have served in the oil -rich kingdom, while Riyadh has expanded generous financial support to Islamabad in times of economic crises.
The Prime Minister’s visit combined with the signing of the covenant emphasizes Islamabad’s efforts to cement ties with the kingdom at both political and security level, even when both countries continue to explore expanded financial cooperation.
Meanwhile, similar to another question, the spokesman said the question of the Bagram air base was between the United States and Afghanistan. He spoke in the context of a statement by President Donald Trump who on Thursday said he would take back control of the Bagram military base.
