THE relationship shared between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is a sweet one but by no means a new one. To fully understand what this relation means and what the recent back and forth between the two brotherly countries really underscores, a historical understanding is pertinent.
In the year 1953, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad was for the first time hosted by the then-Saudi King Ibn-e-Saud. Ever since then bilateral relations between the two countries have maintained one golden vein of consistency. Saudi monarchs as a whole, from then to now, have remained partial towards the struggling Islamic Republic. Partial in not just their affection but also in their financial generosity.
It would be a disservice to not point out the one king who stood out in his unconditional generosity; King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz. Among a plethora of loans, grants, and schemes, it was in 1975 that King Faisal gave 10 Million USD to Pakistan’s earthquake victims in the Karakorams… (for a fair comparison The United States was generous enough to pledge 25,000 USD). The year before i.e. in 1974, King Faisal gave a staggering 100 Million USD to be disbursed to any projects of the then PM Bhutto’s choice. Ultimately such generosity did not go unpunished and the King was mercilessly shot dead soon after.
With the Sharif family now once again in power, the renewed interest of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan is evident. The former and the latter have shown that they enjoy an almost umbilical relationship. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has famously called Pakistan his second home while for the family in power in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia is a common escape.
The Crown Prince last visited his second home (read: Pakistan) in 2019. This was the time Imran Khan was in power and while their bromance appeared evident and also yielded 20 Million USD in potential investments, nothing actually materialized. Now, 5 years later Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received fresh assurances of financial support – this time a bigger and better sum – 5 Billion USD have been promised by the Crown Prince. But this time the generosity has gone beyond just finances. In their meeting, the prince reaffirmed to the Pakistani PM Saudi Arabia’s resolve to never leave Pakistan’s side.
Many viewed this as once again just mere words and empty promises but a high-powered Saudi delegation led by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah was in Islamabad soon after. The composition of the delegation and the timing of the visit reiterated the seriousness of Saudi Arabia’s stance and interest in Pakistan. In short, providing a glimmer of hope, the Saudis arrived just when Pakistan was at the doorsteps of the IMF for a sad 24th time. Now, the Saudi Crown Prince is set to be in Pakistan next week, and with him come hopes of a better future for the Islamic Republic.
—The writer is Assistant Editor, daily Pakistan Observer, Islamabad.
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