Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Relations during PPP & PML-N Governments (2008-18): An Analysis

Abstract

The evaluation is critical concerning the state of Pakistan-Saudi relations during their democratic tenures of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). From 2008 until 2018, the timespan was a time of asking a lot of questions, ranging from the Arab Spring, changing equations in Middle Eastern countries, and various changing security concerns that were all impactful in engaging countries in this regard. PPP relations (2008–2013) under ideological differences were largely limited to Delhi in form of diplomacy. Distantly, Pakistan is also found in a rather cautious foreign policy stand, again in the context of a turmoiled neighborhood. PML-N (2013–2018) relationships became more active again, arguments being that they were mostly based on historical personal ties, ties on economic cooperation, and Pakistan's very careful balancing act in Yemen and the more general Indo-Saudi rivalry. The analysis is based on political developments as well as on diplomatic and economic linkages with military cooperation regarding the continuities and changes of their bilateral relations.