PAKISTAN AND KSA TIES ARE SET TO REACH NEW LEVELS

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have reiterated their resolve to work together and further
enhance bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two brotherly countries.
Both countries have a vibrant history of collaboration since the inception of Pakistan.
There are robust trade, defense, and cultural relations between Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan. With more than 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates living there, the Kingdom is
the main destination for remittances into the financially developing nation of South
Asia. The extent of these ties can well be understood from the words of Zahid Hussain,
“Pakistan has time-honored ties with Saudi Arabia and now it has taken a new
dimension of economic collaboration.”
On Monday April 15th, 2024, Prince Faisal bin Farhan began his two-day official visit
to Islamabad. The minister visited Islamabad with a high-level delegation with the
intention of advancing previously signed investment agreements and strengthening
bilateral economic relations. A little more than a week had passed since Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met in Makkah, when the
Prince reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to accelerating $5 billion in investments.
The Saudi foreign minister met with high-ranking officials from the military and civilian
leadership during his two-day official visit, including General Syed Asim Munir, the
head of the army, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Special Investment
Facilitation Council (SIFC), a significant government organization established in June
2023 to expedite decisions pertaining to foreign investment in Pakistan’s vital
industries of IT, mining, energy, and agriculture, also briefed the Saudi delegation.
According to the Saudi Foreign Minister, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia values its
relations with Pakistan as a high regard and is dedicated to forge a solid alliance with
the country. He emphasized that the two nations had close ties and had supported
one another for many years. He recognized the diaspora of Pakistan and its
contributions to the growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Analyzing his statements,
it is evident that his current visit is the follow-up of the previous commitments done
between both countries. These commitments have far ranging positive impacts not
only in strengthening the relations between two countries, rather in forging and building
people-to-people ties.
Pakistan’s substantial involvement in LEAP 2024 further solidified bilateral ties
between the two nations with KSA’s cooperation in the fields of information technology
and telecommunications. In the evolving digital landscape, partnerships such as these
are essential to innovation, economic development, and specially for Pakistan’s
position as a global hub for technology and innovation. According to a statement made
on March 5 by the head of the Pakistani Software Producers’ Association, Pakistani
software companies inked multiple deals with top Saudi and international companies
at the tech expo LEAP 2024 in Riyadh. With more than 70 businesses and 800
delegates exhibiting their products, Pakistani companies had the “largest-ever
presence” of any South Asian country in this sector, according to the chairman of the
Pakistan Software Houses Association. The Saudi-Pakistan Tech House initiative,
which the Prince Fahad bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud unveiled in
Islamabad last year, developed 300 digital and technology initiatives valued at $100
million over the next five years, generating new employment opportunities in the IT
and digital technology sectors.
Pakistan has always believed that it can contribute to the development of robust,
diversified relationships with other Muslim nations, particularly those in the Middle
East, ever since its inception. The Pakistani military has been instrumental in this
endeavor and will continue to be so. Pakistan has maintained a composite military
brigade in the Kingdom for many years, with the primary objective of training and
advising, demonstrating the degree of mutual confidence between Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan. During the Iran-Iraq war, the military also guarded Saudi Arabia because
there were signs that it would envelop the country. Prominent military officials from
Pakistan have been placed on secondment in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern
nations. Raheel Sharif, the former chief of army of Pakistan, was appointed head of
the Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, which is led by Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s military
leadership has benefited from tight ties with the Kingdom and the highest civilian
honors under Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Pakistani and Saudi military
personnel also often participate in joint drills. From the year 2022, there was a notable
improvement in Pakistan-Saudi Arabia bilateral security cooperation, when the two
countries hosted a two-month military exercise. This shows that ties between both
countries are apt to be termed as pure brotherly relations.