Pakistan-Saudi partnership: Weathering another crisis
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Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been the two most powerful nations of the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia maintains a unique status within the Muslim community since it is home to the two holiest places of Islam. Pakistan, on the other hand, is the only Muslim nuclear power. They remained political allies during the time of the Cold War and played a critical role in the expulsion of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. Yet their partnership has been in rough waters lately.
The latest relations testing the strength and depth of bilateral ties started to develop when reports in Pakistani media suggested that Saudi Arabia had decided in July to reduce its financial support and withdrew $1 billion of the $3 billion (balance of payment) loan given to Pakistan one and a half year ago. This agreement was to be renegotiated after one year and it was reinitiated in January 2020. The other part of the financial package was a $3.2 billion oil facility on deferred payments. This deferred oil facility expired in May 2020, it has been reported that the kingdom has not renewed it either. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Pakistan have officially confirmed such reports.
From the Pakistani side, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold a session of its Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss Indian actions in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. He went on to say that if the OIC fails to arrange such a meeting, then Pakistan itself should hold one of all like-minded Muslim countries, regardless of whether Saudi Arabia is on board or not. This indeed created a perfect storm in Pakistan.
The ensuing crisis that clouded Pakistani-Saudi bilateral relations tested the resolve of leaderships on both sides vis-à-vis their commitments for each other but also brought a much-needed dose of realism into bilateral dynamics. It also exposed the limits of developing strong institutional and structural ties without being reinforced by a warm interpersonal connect. Yet both sides did take measured steps to effectively calm down the situation.
From the Pakistani side, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold a session of its Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss Indian actions in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. He went on to say that if the OIC fails to arrange such a meeting, then Pakistan itself should hold one of all like-minded Muslim countries, regardless of whether Saudi Arabia is on board or not. This indeed created a perfect storm in Pakistan.
Umar Karim
From the Pakistani side, the first to enter this fray was the military chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa who has been credited with improving the ties in the past. He flew to Riyadh and held meetings with the Saudi military and deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman — the Saudi king's son and full brother of the crown prince. The visit put an end to media speculations over a breakdown in the relationship, and of Pakistan realigning its political alliances to join the block of Turkey and Qatar against Saudi Arabia. And it also indicated that the relationship that seemed to be jointly managed by civil and military leadership is now again in military hands and for its stability Gen. Bajwa would be the key man.
The Saudi position on the crisis and how to manage it was articulated by the kingdom’s former ambassador, veteran diplomat Dr. Ali Awadh Asseri. Although he expressed concerns over Minister Qureshi's remarks, he said the Pakistan-Saudi partnership was too important to fail. He said, however, that while the military as well as public-to-public components of it are progressing smoothly, its political aspect needs a reset.
Pakistan’s political stakeholders have responded by upping their engagement with the Saudi envoy in Islamabad. The most important members of the ruling cadres — the foreign minister, defense minister, chairs of both houses of parliament, provincial chief ministers, federal ministers, religious leaders and civil-military elites — have held consecutive meetings with the Saudi ambassador to smoothen up the situation. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, started engagement with representatives of the Pakistani opposition, in a move to develop partnerships across political divides.
The government’s most formidable move that will stabilize Pakistan-Saudi ties and bring again a personal element into the relationship has been the appointment of Moulana Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council and member of the supreme council of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, as the Pakistani prime minister's special assistant on religious harmony. Known for his personal friendship with the Saudi crown prince, Ashrafi is expected to replace foreign policy executives in Pakistan's political engagement with Saudi Arabia. This move will be viewed as a confidence building measure in Riyadh and a necessary course correction, as advocated by Ambassador Asseri.
- Umar Karim is a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s strategic outlook, the Saudi-Iran tussle, conflict in Syria, and the geopolitics of Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. Twitter: @UmarKarim89