Tested and Standing: What Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Can Build Together

Tested and Standing: What Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Can Build Together

A bond that held under fire

On 29 September a Houthi drone knocked out a transformer supplying the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Pakistan’s answer came within days and without hedging. The Foreign Office called the strike “a grave provocation” and said Pakistan stands firmly with Saudi Arabia in safeguarding the Two Holy Mosques. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would help the kingdom in any conflict that threatens its security.

This has been the hardest year the Gulf has seen in decades. The United States and Iran have been at war since February. The Strait of Hormuz is largely blocked. Houthi attacks on Saudi cities resumed this summer. Alliances are judged in years like this one, and the Pakistan-Saudi alliance has held.

That is the starting point for a larger question. Two countries that trust each other this much in war can build a great deal in peace. This article sets out what the partnership already delivers, and what it could deliver next.

Eight decades in the making

The loyalty on display this autumn was not improvised. Defence cooperation has been a cornerstone of the relationship since the 1960s. A 1982 agreement allowed Pakistani training, advisory support and deployments on Saudi soil. On 17 September 2025 the two governments turned that habit into a treaty. The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement treats aggression against either country as aggression against both. The Foreign Office spoke at the time of “a unique bond of brotherhood and cooperation”.

On 7 August this year Turkiye joined. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement brings together Saudi Arabia’s economic weight, Pakistan’s military experience and Turkiye’s large army and defence industry. Landmarks in Pakistani and Saudi cities were lit in the colours of the three flags, and crowds in Lahore watched fireworks. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called the pact purely defensive and open to other countries in the region.

The commitment is physical as well as legal. Reuters reports that Pakistan has thousands of soldiers and a squadron of fighter jets in the kingdom. When Houthi attacks escalated in September, Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish military officials met in Riyadh to coordinate their response. Pakistan also carried Riyadh’s warning to Tehran. It is both a defender of the kingdom and its channel to Iran.

A partnership people can feel

The relationship is strongest where it touches ordinary households. Overseas Pakistanis sent home a record $41.6 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June, up 8.6 per cent, and Saudi Arabia was the largest source. In 2025, 530,256 of the 762,499 Pakistanis registered for work abroad went to the kingdom, about 70 per cent. Each of those workers supports a family in Pakistan and helps build a project in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh has also stood behind Pakistan’s finances. In October 2025 it rolled over $5 billion in deposits and extended a $1 billion oil facility for the fiscal year, supplied at $100 million a month. The Finance Ministry said the support gave the economy crucial stability.

The support is diplomatic too. In February the Taliban government released three Pakistani soldiers it had held since October, handing them to a Saudi delegation in Kabul. Its spokesman said the release came “in response to a request from the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia”.

What is possible

Five opportunities stand out.

Skilled workers for Vision 2030. Pakistan’s Economic Survey sets a target of one million workers placed in Saudi Arabia by 2030, in construction, healthcare, IT, tourism, logistics and aviation. Riyadh will host Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup, and both need builders, engineers and hospitality staff. The base is there. Between July 2025 and March 2026, 292,556 Pakistani candidates passed the Saudi skill-verification test, a pass rate of about 80 per cent. Islamabad has proposed a $3.8 billion Saudi investment framework for education, including $2.7 billion for technical and vocational training. If Pakistan sends more nurses, engineers and programmers, earnings per worker will rise along with the numbers.

Investment alongside deposits. The two governments launched an Economic Cooperation Framework on 28 October 2025. It covers energy, industry, mining, IT, tourism, agriculture and food security, and includes an electricity interconnection project. Businesses on both sides signed 34 memoranda worth $2.8 billion in 2024. In August a Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al-Saud met the Prime Minister, with interest in agriculture, ports, highways, airports and power distribution.

Energy security. Pakistan’s oil and gas arrive through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, and both routes have been disrupted this year. In March, Islamabad proposed converting the $5 billion in deposits into a ten-year facility and expanding oil supplied on deferred payment from $1.2 billion to $5 billion. Riyadh’s response had not been confirmed when that was reported. Agreement on even part of it would let Pakistan plan beyond one year at a time.

Defence industry. The Mecca agreement joins Pakistan’s military experience to Turkiye’s defence industry and Saudi capital. This year’s attacks have shown how much drones and air defence matter. Producing them jointly would be a natural next step. Other Gulf states have noticed the value of a Pakistani guarantee: Kuwait sought a similar pact and signed a training and border-security protocol with Islamabad in August.

Peacemaking. Pakistan mediated the April ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Saudi Arabia has mediated between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The three pact members are due to hold emergency consultations on Iran’s suggestion of political engagement with the Houthis. Riyadh’s weight in the Arab world and Islamabad’s channels to Tehran and Washington, used together, could help turn a fragile truce into a settlement.

What it will take

None of this is automatic. Memoranda are not factories, and the $2.8 billion in signed intentions still has to become projects on the ground. A joint commission that reports every six months on the framework’s projects would keep both sides honest about progress. One candidate in five fails the Saudi skills test, so training has to improve before the worker target can be met. Pakistan’s proposal for Saudi-funded vocational training deserves an early answer, because it serves both the worker target and Vision 2030.

The war also sets limits. Pakistan depends on sea lanes that are under attack, and it shares a long border with Iran. Its value to Riyadh rests partly on its ability to talk to Tehran. The analyst Kamran Bokhari notes that Tehran engages Islamabad precisely because it is aligned with Riyadh and Washington, which is why both route their messages through it. Saudi restraint has helped. After drones from Iraq hit its pipeline, Riyadh held back to give Baghdad “an opportunity to take the necessary measures”. Keeping the channel to Tehran open serves the alliance.

The foundations are in place: a treaty, soldiers on the ground, record remittances and an economic framework. The solidarity of this autumn has given both governments public support for something larger. They should use it to move from deposits to investment, and from labour to skills, while the goodwill is at its height.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Opinion Desk.