The very first visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan, following his appearance to the power saddle of Pakistan, was to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Till date, PM Khan has paid six visits to the KSA, which implies unprecedented thaw in the Pak-KSA ties. Beyond any suspicion, Pakistan and the KSA share affinity-based, religious, transactional, and strategic links. Pakistan has always exhibited great reverence for the KSA since it is the birthplace of Islam. Likewise, the KSA manifests respect towards Pakistan because the latter is one of the largest and powerful Islamic countries. The admiration and affection are mutual.
The equation of the Pak-KSA’s relationship rests on mutual interests. Time and again, Pakistan has been relying upon the KSA’s monetary assistance, whereas, the KSA leans on Pakistan’s security chattels. Whenever Pakistan aspired monetary compensation, the KSA outpoured billions of dollars to Pakistan. In 1998, when Pakistan became the subject of isolation for the rest of the world following conducting a nuclear test, the KSA proffered free crude oil worth $2 billion. Correspondingly, Pakistan, robust in its security parameters, has been serving the KSA’s purposes. There are several hundred Pakistani soldiers on the soil of the KSA in a bid to protect the Kingdom. Both countries have also collaborated at the world’s second-largest intergovernmental organization OIC (Organization of Islamic cooperation).
The West-Asian region holds the pivotal mark in world affairs. The region has confluence with Africa and Europe. In this region, the KSA is a vital country with the largest economy. Having access to the world’s 22 percent oil resources, the KSA is among the biggest oil producer countries. In this respect, the KSA is a crystal oil feeder to the Pakistani industry. Periodically, the KSA has been catering to Pakistan’s energy demands whenever the latter necessitated. In the power sector, the KSA is helping Pakistan to install 500 megawatts renewable energy projects worth $4.5 billion in Baluchistan and a $10 billion oil refinery in Gwadar. The world’s largest crude oil producer Aramco is working in the exploration of LNG in Pakistan. People-to-people contact is the triggering element for the crystallizing Pak-KSA relationship. Pakistan is blessed enough to have its people’s diaspora in the KSA. Almost 2.7 million Pakistanis inhabit the Kingdom and remit nearly $6 billion every year. Such a prolific sum of money is nothing short of a blessing for an economically depressed country like Pakistan. As of 2019, trade volume between both countries is $3.7 billion, in which the KSA exports to Pakistan have a large share. Moreover, Saudi Vision 2030 bears immense prospects for Pakistan since it envisages to boost public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism. For this aim, the vigorous link with the KSA would carry job prospects for Pakistani expert doctors, engineers, and economists. To make things better, China has also exhibited its deep interest in Saudi’s Vision 2030 and has agreed to deepen its collaboration in the project. In exchange, the Kingdom has also expressed its desire to collaborate in the Chinese OBOR (One Belt, One Road) initiative. This development is identical to the Carte-Blanche for Pakistan since the trio of the KSA, China, and Pakistan can revolutionize their security dynamics and economic parameters.
The equation of the Pak-KSA’s relationship rests on mutual interests. Time and again, Pakistan has been relying upon the KSA’s monetary assistance, whereas, the KSA leans on Pakistan’s security chattels. Whenever Pakistan aspired monetary compensation, the KSA outpoured billions of dollars to Pakistan
On the other hand, Pakistan encompasses strategic significance for the KSA. Unimpaired in its military strength and defense system, Pakistan is proficient in catering to the KSA’s security requirements up to a good measure. “Pakistan is providing the capacity to militaries across the Gulf, but particularly Saudi Arabia. They couldn’t function without the Pakistanis,” says Andreas Krieg, the Middle East security expert. He also added that estimates of how many Pakistani soldiers are serving in the Kingdom go as high as 65,000. Moreover, Pakistan holds to potential to diffuse the tension between Iran and the KSA by playing the role of mediator. In the 1970s, Pakistan has played the role of mediator between the US and China as well. After the oil industry, Hajj is the principal source for the KSA to earn revenue. In this respect, Pakistan ranks second among those counties which are awarded Hajj visa quotas. In 2018, almost 184,210 people from Pakistan performed Hajj, giving excellent consolidation to the KSA’s revenue earned through Hajj. In 2019, Pakistan aced the list of countries with more than 2.1 million people performed Umrah. Given the interdependence of both countries to each other, the thaw in Pak-KSA relation is inevitable.
However, an astringent dimension in Pak-KSA ties is the Iran factor. The Saudi-Iran conflict has grave implications for Pak-KSA links. Apart from that, Pak-Iran energy projects have also remained repugnant for the KSA. The KSA finds the Iranian involvement in regional politics as a threat to its security and sovereignty. Conversely, Pakistan seeks genuine links with Iran because of its regional and neighborhood significance. With the KSA, Pakistan’s economic interests are associated, whereas, Iran has security significance for Pakistan. Thus, it is pertinent to mention that Pakistan should not relegate Iran. Iran shares a border with the agitated province Baluchistan whose stability has a link to the stable Pak-Iran ties. One can notice that the KSA by crystallizing its ties with Pakistan, has not offended India. The KSA has forged the amiable bonds with India. In the same vein, Pakistan ought to enjoy the warm ties with the KSA without disregarding Iran. Therefore, Pakistan is to walk a tight rope in maintaining the equilibrium between the KSA and Iran.
The writer is an electrical engineer who is also a CSS aspirant