Relationship dossier
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Close partnership built on defense cooperation and Saudi financial support, with recurring disagreements over Yemen and Kashmir.
Pakistan toward Saudi Arabia
+50Pakistan has cooperated with Saudi Arabia on defense, including providing military personnel and training support. However, Pakistan’s parliament called for neutrality in the Yemen conflict in 2015 rather than joining the Saudi-led intervention, and Pakistan later pressed for stronger OIC action on Kashmir, contributing to friction with Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia toward Pakistan
+55Saudi Arabia has provided Pakistan with financial support, including deposits and oil-related financing, and has supported its energy needs. Saudi policy has also at times involved pressure over Pakistan’s positions on Yemen and Kashmir, including a period of tension over Pakistan’s call for stronger OIC action on Kashmir.
Overall relationship
+55The relationship rests on sustained defense cooperation and recurring Saudi financial and energy assistance, alongside extensive labor links. These durable ties have not prevented disputes over Pakistan’s non-participation in the Yemen intervention and its pursuit of stronger OIC action on Kashmir. The resulting relationship is close but not free of significant policy friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain a close relationship that includes defense cooperation, Saudi financial and energy assistance, and substantial labor ties. Pakistan has supported Saudi security through military cooperation, while Saudi Arabia has provided financial support and oil facilities. The relationship has also experienced friction over Pakistan’s stance on the Yemen conflict and Saudi Arabia’s response to Pakistan’s efforts to secure stronger OIC action on Kashmir.
Areas of tension
- Pakistan’s decision not to join the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
- Disagreement over Pakistan’s demand for stronger OIC action on Kashmir.
- Financial and oil-related tensions between the governments in 2020.
Key developments
Pakistan’s parliament called for neutrality in the Yemen conflict rather than joining the Saudi-led intervention.
Saudi Arabia announced a financial support package for Pakistan that included deposits and an oil facility.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia experienced a period of tension over Pakistan’s call for stronger OIC action on Kashmir, accompanied by strain over financial and oil-related arrangements.
Saudi Arabia provided Pakistan with a further financial deposit to support its external finances.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and operational details of bilateral defense cooperation are unclear.
- The long-term scale and terms of Saudi financial and energy support to Pakistan are uncertain.