Al Yamamah Palace, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh signed the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA), a security and defense pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. It was signed against the backdrop of Israel’s attacks on Qatar and following the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Doha. According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s press office, “The agreement stipulates that any aggression against either country will be considered aggression against both.” The text of the agreement has not been officially released. A senior Saudi official told Reuters, regarding the possibility of Pakistan providing Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella: “This is a comprehensive defense agreement that includes all military means.” However, nuclear weapons are not explicitly mentioned. This is the first military pact between a Gulf Arab state and a nuclear power. Under this agreement, both countries undertake to treat any act of aggression against one as an act against both.
