Saudi Arabia signs mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, signed the pact with Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, left (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defense pact that regards any attack on either nation as an attack on both in the wake of Israel’s strike on Qatar earlier this month.

The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties to Pakistan, including reportedly providing funding for Islamabad’s nuclear weapons programme as it developed.