Caught between Saudi and UAE, Pakistan hedges support for Riyadh

New Delhi: Pakistan is in a bind following the Saudi Arabia-UAE spat and unable to back Riyadh openly and decisively despite a bilateral defence pact signed last year.

Apart from a statement backing Riyadh following the recent Saudi-UAE conflict in Yemen, the Pakistani leadership and Army have not been forthcoming in backing Saudi Arabia on the ground against the UAE.

In a recent phone call Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's "complete solidarity" with Saudi Arabia during a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Experts tracking Pakistan-Gulf ties claimed that apart from this phone call, Islamabad did not take any concrete step in favour of Saudi Arabia.


Interestingly, when the Saudi Army launched an attack against UAE military assets in Yemen, the UAE President was in Pakistan on a quasi official tour, and the UAE announced an investment in Pakistan's Fauji Foundation run by the army. The UAE will acquire shares worth around US$1 billion in Fauji Foundation Group, a conglomerate managed by the Pakistani military. The deal also includes plans to roll over an additional $2 billion in loans.

It is understood that Riyadh is keeping a close eye on Pakistan following its soft stand on the issue and has sent feelers to Islamabad to support it. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert about two billion of Saudi loan into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, according to a Reuters report.

Pakistan's Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu was in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss "bilateral defence cooperation, regional security environment and future avenues of collaboration" with his counterpart Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz, Pakistan's military said in a statement on Thursday.