��������

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday several countries had expressed interest in signing a security pact with his country after it concluded a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with �������� this week, though he stressed such accords take time and do not materialize overnight.

Pakistan and �������� sealed the deal during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss regional and bilateral issues. Both nations have said the pact formalizes decades of defense partnership and is not directed against any third country.

Since the signing of the agreement, analysts have widely speculated more such accords could follow amid a shifting geopolitical environment in the region.

“It is premature to say anything, but many countries desire, after this development, to have a similar arrangement,” Dar told a group of reporters in London in a video shared on social media platforms without naming them.

“However, it [takes] a due process,” he continued. “It [the accord with ��������] wasn’t signed overnight. It took several months.”

Dar said every word of the agreement had been carefully considered by both sides.

He maintained that the two countries were “very happy” about the development, pointing out that �������� had always stood with Pakistan in tough circumstances.

“You will recall that their support after the [nuclear] sanctions was very relevant and important,” he said, referring to the international situation for Pakistan that followed its decision to conduct nuclear tests in response to India’s in May 1998.

“Likewise, during the current crises, �������� has also played a major role,” he added, citing Pakistan’s recent financial turmoil that brought it close to sovereign debt default and prompted it to enlist support from �������� and other friendly countries to unlock an International Monetary Fund bailout.

Dar noted that the people of Pakistan always felt strongly about ��������’s security, saying the newly signed pact builds on the same sentiment and years of bilateral partnership.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday clarified its new strategic security pact with �������� is purely defensive and not aimed at any third country.

Pakistan and �������� on Wednesday signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both. The deal, sealed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit, is meant to enhance joint deterrence and deepen decades of military and security cooperation.

Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al Yamamah Palace, where the two leaders, joined by senior ministers and military officials, reviewed what Sharif’s office described as a “historic and strategic” partnership and discussed regional developments.

“The Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement formalizes decades-old and robust defense partnership between Pakistan and ��������,” foreign office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said at his weekly press briefing. “It is defensive in nature and not directed against any third country. It will contribute to regional peace, security and stability.”

Asked if the pact targets Israel or India, he said: “The statement issued by the two countries is self-explanatory, and I have also provided the broader context. Any misplaced attribution or speculation of hypothetical scenarios is unwarranted.”

Highlighting the “special relationship” between the nations, he said that Pakistan and �������� enjoyed enduring and multifaceted relationship.

“The leadership of the two countries shares the common vision to take it to new heights,” he added. “The relationship lives in the hearts of the people of the two countries.”

Khan said Pakistanis hold deep affection for �������� — the land of Makkah and Madinah — and regard the royal family highly for safeguarding Islam’s holiest sites.

Responding to another question, he pointed to the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SPSCC), established in 2019, as the key platform for economic collaboration.

The council, he said, aims to institutionalize and fast-track decision-making and implementation across agreed areas of cooperation.

“Pakistan wants to further deepen economic cooperation with the brotherly country of �������� in all areas,” he added.