It is no secret that Pakistan and the House of Saud are very close allies. It is also true that Saudi political, diplomatic and economic support has helped Pakistan emerge from a number of crises. After all Saudi economic assurances made the choice of testing nuclear weapons in 1998 a very clear one.
In recent times the power dynamic between the worlds two closest allies is undergoing a subtle shift. Instead of Pakistanis flocking to Riyadh, Saudis are flocking to Islamabad to receive assurances.
Just last year Saudi Crown prince visited Pakistan to secure Pakistani support for Saudis proxies in the Syrian civil war. In recent weeks, increasing American independence from Saudi oil coupled with the prospect of a bad nuclear deal with Iran is making House of Saud very nervous. To compensate it is increasingly looking towards Pakistan in terms of security.
Saudis desperately need Pakistan. What is uncertain is how the government of Nawaz Sharif will make the most of this situation.
In recent times the power dynamic between the worlds two closest allies is undergoing a subtle shift. Instead of Pakistanis flocking to Riyadh, Saudis are flocking to Islamabad to receive assurances.
Just last year Saudi Crown prince visited Pakistan to secure Pakistani support for Saudis proxies in the Syrian civil war. In recent weeks, increasing American independence from Saudi oil coupled with the prospect of a bad nuclear deal with Iran is making House of Saud very nervous. To compensate it is increasingly looking towards Pakistan in terms of security.
Saudis desperately need Pakistan. What is uncertain is how the government of Nawaz Sharif will make the most of this situation.
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