Celebrating time-tested ties
The visit of Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, to Pakistan is of paramount importance. The ties between the two brotherly countries have often been termed as special for various reasons.
This writer can claim with full responsibility that the royal family holds Pakistan in high esteem. This confidence stems from this writer’s stint at the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh.
During that time, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was the head of the Saudi National Guard and had a Pakistani doctor as his personal physician. Similarly, Crown Prince Salman, then governor of the Riyadh region, also sought health counsel from a reputed Pakistani doctor. That doctor now heads a philanthropic institution near Islamabad named after the wife of the crown prince.
It is very common for the leaders around the world to ensure that their physicians are highly professional, committed to medical ethics and be of a trusted nationality. The two sides have come a long way since then. It is because of its wise policies and focus on modern education that currently hundreds of medical graduates are passing out from Saudi universities and are in no way less than their international counterparts.
Trade with Saudi Arabia constitutes nine percent of Pakistan’s international trade volume. Saudi Arabia hosts about two million Pakistani professionals and workers and is a major source of remittances. In addition to the economic assistance in different sectors, Saudi Arabia has always come to the rescue of Pakistan in the hour of need. The Saudi help in the wake of 2005 earthquake and successive floods in 2011 and 2012 will always be remembered. Recently, the Kingdom has contributed handsome amounts for two hydel power projects. Saudi Arabia seems fully cognizant of Pakistan’s energy problems. It has also contributed generously to the reconstruction of housing units, schools, hospitals and roads in Waziristan, Kurram and Mohmand agencies to facilitate early return of the IDPs.
It would be worth mentioning that in 1986 a public sector Pakistani firm secured contracts for a number of development projects in Riyadh. Due to financial problems, the company failed in meeting some projects’ deadlines and the Saudi authorities had to issue termination orders. That firm was under the Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior and top Pakistani officials called on Prince Naif, the then Interior Minister, and requested him to reconsider the decision. Prince Naif graciously issued orders restoring the contracts. Such are the bonds between the two countries.
Apart from these material links, the most important bond that exists between the two countries is spiritual, which is eternal.
With the visit of Crown Prince Salman to Pakistan, the bilateral ties will be cemented and will follow a new trajectory. These ties have grown steadily irrespective of changes in Pakistan’s governments.
In addition to the economic assistance, Pakistan could greatly benefit from the Saudi experience of tackling the issue of terrorism through reformation and rehabilitation.
When the late Crown Prince Sultan visited Pakistan in 1980, as the defense minister, this writer was officially associated with the visit. That seminal event had set the tone of Saudi-Pakistan relations for the years to come. And very recently Pakistan hosted his son Prince Salman bin Sultan, who is the deputy defense minister. This visit materialized at a crucial juncture for both nations and indicated that the level of mutual trust has endured over generations. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while receiving Crown Prince Salman, aptly remarked that current challenges necessitated further defense co-operation between the two nations. In my view bilateral co-operation in defense production and personnel training hold a lot of promise.
Prince Sultan bin Salman, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) also visited Pakistan earlier this month and attended a function of Sultana Foundation in Islamabad. These successive visits signify deepening of bilateral cooperation. Pak-Saudi ties are assuming a strategic dimension. Love for Saudi Arabia in the hearts of Pakistanis is the solid basis on which these strategic ties are being built. This special relationship has been consistent and has endured over three generations. The cooperation between the two countries will not only be beneficial for the two nations but will also positively contribute to the regional peace and stability.
• The writer is a retired ambassador and head of Islamabad Center for Political Studies.
