Kuala Lampur, Sept. 20 -- When Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement on September 17, 2025, they did more than cement bilateral ties. They anchored the Kingdom's security to the nuclear deterrent of Pakistan - a South Asian power whose arsenal, unlike India's, is now explicitly extended to cover Saudi soil.

The pact, which declares that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," transforms Pakistan's nuclear capability from a national shield into a regional buffer. For Saudi Arabia, this is nothing less than strategic insurance against a volatile neighbourhood.

South Asia's nuclear paradox

Pakistan is not South Asia's only nuclear power. India too maintain...