Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have enjoyed splendid bilateral relations since the dawn of independence for the former in 1947. It was among the first countries to recognize the state of Pakistan as a separate, consolidated entity and established friendly relations on the basis of “the centuries old religious, cultural and commercial links between the two peoples. The relationship is also based on shared Islamic ideals.” (Pak-Saudi relations, Jeddah Consulate).
Although this is all true, the relations between the two countries start even earlier during pre-partition India. “Saudi delegations were welcomed by leaders of the All India Muslim League in Karachi in 1940. In response to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s call in 1943, King Abdul Aziz had sent the first foreign aid of £10,000 to help the people in famine-hit Bengal. In 1946, Saudi leaders came forward to help a delegation of the league in the United Nations when the delegates were facing issues in their engagements by the Indian National Congress team” (DAWN, February 15th 2019). These interventions laid the basis of the relations that would later on be one of the most strong and mutually beneficial relations in the Islamic world. This is evident by the fact that the countries have formed a somewhat symbiotic relationship on the basis of their common geopolitical interests. Currently, there are roughly 2.5 million Pakistanis actively working in the KSA who send a remittance of around $5-6 billion annually. (DAWN, February 15th 2019). Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has called upon Pakistan on more than one occasion for help in terms of security, helping Pakistan financially.
“Since the 1960s, Pakistani soldiers have been stationed in Saudi Arabia to protect the Kingdom. Pakistan has also been providing training to Saudi soldiers and pilots. In 1969, Pakistani pilots repulsed incursions by Yemeni forces” (DAWN, February 15th 2019).
The main era of the relationship developed during the Bhutto regime when Shah Faisal took the reins in establishing what Bhutto termed “Pan-Islamism” and was among the first people that accepted this plan and took efforts to bring it to fruition. The Faisal Mosque, a symbol of the Shah’s joviality in this era, stands as a memoir to the longstanding keenness that the Kingdom holds towards this country and its people.
In recent times, however, this relationship took an opposite turn (especially during the Imran Khan regime, wherein the Shah refused to deliver any loans on the bequest of the former Prime Minister, and did not find it acceptable to engage in any trade agreements). Now, in the new regime that is headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, these relations seem to be improving. In his recent visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was the first foreign trip as the newly appointed Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative Summit being held from October 25-27 at the behest of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Abdul-Aziz.
“During his stay in Riyadh, the prime minister will hold consultations with the Saudi crown prince to review the longstanding fraternal relations, with a view to further strengthening the multifaceted cooperation, especially in the economic field, according to the Foreign Office” (The News, October 25th 2022).
Prior to this, the Pakistan government made an official statement, giving its full support to the Saudi government in its decision to cut short the oil supply in the international market in order to prevent a dip in the prices (Express Tribune, October 18th 2022). Although this was a power move by the Shehbaz administration to act as a vanguard against Washington’s oncoming onslaught on the Saudi government due to this decision, it clearly shows that the new administration is clearly set on rekindling the Pak-Saudi relations and enabling the countries to draw mutual benefits from each other.
The main takeaway of this the resurrection of the forgotten plan of February 2019, to open up an oil refinery at the Gwadar port by Saudi Arabia’s investment: a sum total of $10 billion. This plan was more or less evacuated due to certain foreign policy moves by the former Prime Minister Imran Khan which angered the Saudi government but has now been again brought to the forefront and breathed a new life into by the moves from the current administration (Express Tribune, October 24th 2022). The Saudi government sees that the Sharif administration is serious in its initiative to rekindle its bilateral relations with the KSA and has a genuine affinity to that fact and it is replying in kind. Prior to the conference in which PM Shehbaz Sharif was a prominent guest speaker, he tweeted:
“There are serious concerns about the threat of global recession hitting the economies. The pandemic and climate-induced disasters have already put immense strains on developing countries. High time the world explored solutions to the deepening challenges through candid dialogue.” (Twitter, October 24th 2022).
The rush by the Prime Minister in developing better financial ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can only spell good things about his legibility as a Prime Minister and will serve to dismember the argument propelled by the PTI members, especially Imran Khan, that the current hybrid regime is not up to the mark and will end up failing the nation soon enough. It also serves to destabilize the charter of PTI, of being the only party that can now improve the financial, economic, and geopolitical situation of Pakistan. This, with the bad foreign policy moves made by the former PM Imran Khan, especially the direct foreign visit to Russia in times of the Russo-Ukraine war, when we were still heavily dependent on the U.S for most of our financial needs, will only strengthen the current administration’s hold over the national politics and will enable them to have a more influential position in the upcoming elections. Whatever the case, one thing is for certain: The Pak-Saudi bilateral relations have been revived for good and this is one of the most effective administrative decisions made by the current regime in a while.
The writer is currently studying at International Islamic University (IIUI), Islamabad.
