Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Wednesday signed a mutual defence agreement under which aggression against either country would be considered an attack on both nations.
India said on Thursday that it is studying the implications of the agreement on its security.
The pact was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.
An unidentified senior Saudi official told Reuters that the agreement was not a response to any specific country or situation, but was “an institutionalisation of longstanding and deep cooperation between our two countries”.
The official added: “Our relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can.”
The agreement came two days after a joint session of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Qatar held following Israel’s attack on some leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Qatari capital Doha on September 9.
Arab and Islamic nations have condemned the attack.
The Hamas members had gathered in Doha to discuss a United States-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.
The Israeli attack put ongoing ceasefire and hostage release talks at risk as Qatar was a key mediator in the negotiations.
Qatar is a major ally of the US and hosts one of the largest American military bases in the region. Washington is also an ally of Israel and acts as a guarantor of the country’s security.
New Delhi’s view
On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was aware that the arrangement between the two countries had been under consideration.
“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability,” the ministry stated. “The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”
The pact comes four months after a brief military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.
The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed in the shelling.
While India and Pakistan on May 10 reached an “understanding” to halt firing following the four-day conflict, New Delhi has said that Operation Sindoor is now India’s policy against cross-border terrorism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on May 12 that India had “only paused our retaliatory action on Pakistan’s terrorist and military infrastructures for now” and that Islamabad’s actions will be observed.
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