Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ibn Farhan was in Pakistan with a large delegation, and by meeting the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Chief of Army Staff, seemed to touch all bases. He made no announcement, even of follow-up, to compare with those made when Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia a week ago, which meant that his visit was essentially a follow-up. It was also preparatory, for it was also meant to pave the way for a visit by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammad Bin Salman, who had agreed to visit Pakistan during Mr Sharif’s visit. However, there was an indication of the shift in the relationship’s dynamics. The shift was not sudden, for Prince Farhan’s meeting with COAS Gen Asim Munir reflected the traditional security relationship, as Pakistani forces are deployed in Saudi Arabia, thereby freeing up Saudi forces for other tasks.
However, apart from the traditional aid of making deposits with the State Bank of Pakistan (the deposit amount having been increased to $5 billion during Mr Sharif’s visit), there is a greater emphasis on investment. Saudi Arabia intends to invest $5 billion in Pakistan, centring around increased trade and commerce, while apart from $21 billion to be put up in an oil refinery in Gwadar, and $7 billion in copper mines, not to mention an investment of $1 billion in the Reko Diq gold mining project. Pakistani economic ties have been based on the large labour force of Pakistanis, who are both an important source of the energy of the Saudi economy and of foreign exchange remittances to Pakistan. Apart from security and the economy, Pakistan is tied to Saudi Arabia by religion, as it is home to two of the holiest sites in Islam, the religion of the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis.
Concern about the third site, Masjid Al-Aqsa, came through when Mr Ibn Farhan and his counterpart both condemned the Gaza situation. Both countries have watched helplessly as Israel has continued slaughtering Gazans in retaliation for the October 7 attacks, and because of their populations’ devotion to the Palestinian cause, both face varying degrees of popular unrest at the situation. Whereas Saudi Arabia is both the centre of Islam and oil-rich, Pakistan has a large population, and is also the only Muslim nuclear power. It cannot be said that the Pak-Saudi relationship has been friction-free, but the bonds tying them together are very strong, and the present exchange of visits has ensured that they remain on even keel.
