New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- 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 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" in Riyadh, and a joint statement by the two sides said the treaty states that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both". The agreement reflects the "shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security" and "aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression", according to the joint statement. Referring to the mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Jaiswal said: "The government was aware that this development, which formalises a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration." He added, "We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The government remains committed to protecting India's national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains." The agreement marks what is perhaps Pakistan's most consequential formal defence pact in several decades, and institutionalises the country's role in the security architecture of West Asia. Over the past five decades, Saudi Arabia has worked to build up its defence relationship with Pakistan with an eye on benefiting from Islamabad's nuclear arsenal. The pact was also a signal from Saudi Arabia to the leadership of the US and Israel following the Benjamin Nethanyahu government's attacks on Gaza and in neighbouring countries such as Qatar and Iran without facing any pushback from the Trump administration. The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement was signed in the aftermath of an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim nations hosted by Qatar following Israel's military strikes on Hamas leaders based in Doha. The meeting brought together almost 60 countries that are members of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)....