India, March 13 -- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday left for a brief official visit to Saudi Arabia, with Pakistan's role coming under scanner due to its defence agreement with the kingdom.

The two countries signed a mutual defence pact in September last year with the commitment to come to the defence of each other in case of an attack by a third country. The agreement was signed when Israel had attacked Hamas leaders in Qatar. However, the situation changed after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran and it hit back but pounding targets in the Gulf. There is a growing unease if Pakistan would fulfill its obligation towards Saudi Arabia, given its good ties and geographical proximity with Iran. Just a day ago, P...