India, Sept. 18 -- India on Thursday reacted to the signing of a mutual defence pact by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia by saying that the government will take all steps to protect the country's national interests and ensure comprehensive national security in all domains, reflecting the concerns over the development.

The Indian side was aware that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had been considering such a pact to formalise a long-standing arrangement between the two sides, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

On Wednesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement", and a joint statement issued by the two sides said the treaty states that...