ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday several countries had expressed interest in signing a security pact with his country after it concluded a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia this week, though he stressed such accords take time and do not materialize overnight.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sealed the deal during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss regional and bilateral issues. Both nations have said the pact formalizes decades of defense partnership and is not directed against any third country.

Since the signing of the agreement, analysts have widely speculated more such accords could follow amid a shifting geopolitical environment in the region.

“It is premature to say anything, but many countries desire, after this development, to have a similar arrangement,” Dar told a group of reporters in London in a video shared on social media platforms without naming them.

“However, it [takes] a due process,” he continued. “It [the accord with Saudi Arabia] wasn’t signed overnight. It took several months.”

Dar said every word of the agreement had been carefully considered by both sides.

He maintained that the two countries were “very happy” about the development, pointing out that Saudi Arabia had always stood with Pakistan in tough circumstances.

“You will recall that their support after the [nuclear] sanctions was very relevant and important,” he said, referring to the international situation for Pakistan that followed its decision to conduct nuclear tests in response to India’s in May 1998.

“Likewise, during the current crises, Saudi Arabia has also played a major role,” he added, citing Pakistan’s recent financial turmoil that brought it close to sovereign debt default and prompted it to enlist support from Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries to unlock an International Monetary Fund bailout.

Dar noted that the people of Pakistan always felt strongly about Saudi Arabia’s security, saying the newly signed pact builds on the same sentiment and years of bilateral partnership.