ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s defense minister has confirmed that his country’s nuclear deterrent “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if required under their newly signed defense pact, marking the first explicit acknowledgment that Islamabad has extended its nuclear umbrella to the Kingdom.

Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif made the remarks in a televised interview with Geo TV late Thursday, saying Pakistan’s nuclear capability — developed and tested in the 1990s — was designed to provide credible deterrence and remains a central pillar of the country’s defense posture.

“What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” Asif said.

He added that Pakistani forces are trained and equipped for battlefield deployment of nuclear deterrence if necessary.

The comments underscore the weight of the defense pact signed Wednesday between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which declares that an attack on one nation would be considered an attack on both.

Asif stressed that the pact does not name any specific adversary. “This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party — from any side — it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response,” he said. — Agencies