Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: A busy week of agreements
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This past week has witnessed several very large agreements coming to fruition between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia with an overarching theme of support, brotherhood and love. It is the culmination of a long and historic relationship that has gone from strength to strength every year.
As an extension of the historical relations between the two brotherly countries throughout the ages, the last few days have been a great indication of the bilateral status of the two governments and people toward one another. Back in 2019, when the Crown Prince visited Pakistan and pledged $20 billion in investments in the energy and mining sector, he stressed in his meetings with Pakistani civilian and military leaders in Riyadh, that the Kingdom will give continued support to Pakistan. In his ambitious and transformative Vision 2030, there are great economic opportunities that the leaders and people of Pakistan must unite politically for, and benefit from. The Crown Prince in fact, is credited with shaping a new perspective for establishing relations between Saudi Arabia and the South Asian region. In Pakistan — in particular — the Saudi focus has shifted from providing financial support, to investing in its economic development and vast potential.
The past week began its phase with the signing of four joint cooperation programs by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid with the National Disaster Management Authority, the National Commission for Human Development, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, and the Kashmir Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority; all with the aim of building communities affected by natural disasters in Pakistan. These programs are benefiting about 360,000 individuals directly and 690,000 individuals indirectly.
In Pakistan the Saudi focus has shifted from providing financial support to investing in its economic development and vast potential.
- Dr. Jamal Hassan Al-Harbi
This will be followed by the Saudi-Pakistani Business Forum 2024, in the presence of the Minister of Investment, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, as well as a large number of entrepreneurs and investors from both Saudi and Pakistani sides, to discuss the qualitative investment opportunities that abound in the two countries.
On the sidelines of the forum, a number of memoranda of cooperation were signed between businesspeople in the two countries, covering the fields of energy, agriculture, food, mining, information technology, and other vital sectors. These historical relations were also embodied through the official national occasions held in Pakistan under the organization of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki.
These events have witnessed wide and effective participation and are models of love and brotherhood. For example, a large number of Pakistanis joyously attended and participated in Saudi National Day celebrations held in the capital city of Islamabad as well as the historic city of Lahore.
Today, the love between the countries from the grassroots level to the echelons of leadership, is translated into mutually beneficial agreements on the ground, further multiplying the depth of relations between the two countries.
- Dr. Jamal Al Harbi is a writer on international affairs and media advisor at the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
