Pakistan’s Relations with Saudi Arabia

Description

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed very friendly relations. Both collaborate with each other in multiple ways. However, the rationale for their friendship is sometimes not understood and there is a need for an objective study of the history of Pakistan-Saudi relations and their present status.

A Saudi official once stated: “The relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is a special one that does not exist between any other two countries.”

Prince Turki al-Faisal, former chief of Saudi intelligence, has stated that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have forged “Probably one of the closest relationships in the world between any two countries without any official treaty.” Certainly, the record shows that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have stood by each other in war and in peace. This special relationship has endured despite changes of governments on both sides.

Author Biography

Shahid M. Amin served in the Pakistan Foreign Service in various capacities including Ambassador and Special Envoy. He was Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, France, the Soviet Union, Nigeria, and Libya, with concurrent accreditation to several other countries. He was also posted in New Delhi, Kabul, Tehran, Brussels, London, and New York. Shahid M. Amin retired from the Foreign Service in 1997 and this is his first book.

He is a well-known figure in the media where he participates in discussions on international affairs and Pakistan’s political and economic scenario. The author has also published articles on foreign affairs in local and international publications. His other publications include Realism in Politics (ABC, 2003); Reminiscences of a Pakistani Diplomat (KCFR, 2005); Europe and the Muslim World: Coexistence or Conflict? (University of Karachi, 2012); A Concise History of Pakistan (IoBM, 2015); Pakistan Forever (PFI, Islamabad, 2017).