Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have agreed on a seemingly stable and long-term relationship that benefits both sides, but it is usually cold. Islamabad says Riyadh has unilaterally fired a large number of Pakistani workers over the past two years, and the humanitarian case has strained relations between the two countries.
Recently, Pakistan recalled a number of its diplomats due to complaints from Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia.
Tensions between Riyadh and Islamabad have called into question the Saudi side’s ability to build strong and lasting coalitions.
Pakistan is one of the most powerful forces in the Islamic world in South Asia; a region that is suffering from economic instability and needs financial assistance. On the other hand, about two million Pakistanis work in Saudi Arabia, and the foreign currency sent from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan is equivalent to 4.5 billion dollars annually.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, looks at the Yemeni war and human rights issues without a clear strategic vision; A war that also plunged Pakistan into its quagmire, and Pakistan unknowingly became a member of the war coalition against Yemen.
One of the most obvious aspects of the tension between the two countries was the pressure that Saudi Arabia put on Pakistan last year to pay its debts. This unusual way of repaying the loan reveals the deteriorating relations between Riyadh and Islamabad. By the end of 2018, Saudi Arabia had lent $ 3 billion and $ 3.2 billion in oil to Pakistan.
Pakistan has summoned a number of its diplomats in Saudi Arabia due to “multiple” complaints from the Pakistani community there, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced on Saturday.
“The diplomatic personnel in Saudi Arabia have been directed to provide all services and facilities to expatriate Pakistanis,” Quresh told reporters while on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia is home to some two million Pakistanis, with annual remittances valuing $4.5 billion, according to official data. Riyadh has reportedly been unilaterally deporting a large number of Pakistani workers over the past two years.
Though the two countries have previously had strong strategic relations, tensions arose last year when Riyadh turned down Islamabad’s request to convene a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Council of Foreign Ministers to pressure India on the Kashmir issue.
Pakistan was later forced to repay a Saudi loan of $1 billion that the kingdom called in after Pakistan insisted it is allowed to lead the OIC’s support for Kashmir, a region largely under Indian occupation and which was annexed by India in 2019.
Saudi Arabia went on to end a loan and oil supply to Pakistan due to the South Asian nation’s criticism that the Saudi-led OIC is not doing enough in support of Kashmir.
The loan was part of a $6.2 billion package announced by Saudi Arabia in November 2018, which included a total of $3 billion in loans and an oil credit facility amounting to $3.2 billion. Those deals were then signed when Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman made a visit to Pakistan in
