Bangladesh, Sept. 23 -- When Pakistans Defense Minister Khawaja Asif recently claimed that Saudi Arabia could access Pakistans nuclear umbrella under a new defense pact, he was not simply engaging in careless rhetoric. He touched a raw nerve in international security, reviving long-standing suspicions about Riyadhs interest in nuclear weapons and Islamabads willingness to oblige. The statement may have been hastily walked back, but the damage had already been done: once again, Pakistans nuclear program was thrust into the center of global scrutiny, and Saudi Arabias strategic anxieties were laid bare.

The pact between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signed in the presence of Pakistans Army Chief Genera...