Islamabad:
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the recently signed historical historical agreement of Mutual Defense of Pakistan with Saudi Arabia is not a reaction to Israeli attack against Qatar, but the result of years of discussion and cooperation between the two nations.
In an interview with the British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, Asif said that Pakistan’s Defense Association with Saudi Arabia covers more than five to six decades. “Our forces have been deployed in Saudi Arabia before, perhaps more than 4,000 to 5,000 in a moment, and are still present on Saudi soil,” he said.
He explained that the last agreement intended to give a formal structure to the association instead of creating a new one. “This agreement has only formalized the defense relations we have had for a long time. It was previously based on some transactions before,” he said.
Regarding nuclear policy, Defense Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s position on restriction. “After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no nuclear energy is in favor of using these weapons,” he said, added that Pakistan is still committed to the global peace norms.
When commenting on internal policy, Asif said that Pakistan’s democracy has not yet matured completely, but is advancing. “Our democracy is not the best, but we are on this path. I have been in jail myself for six months without charges,” he said.
