As Iran Deal Nears, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Relations Chill

As Iran Deal Nears, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Relations Chill
Supporters of Pakistani religious parties rally to support the Saudi Arabian government in Karachi, Pakistan, May 8, 2015 (AP photo by Fareed Khan).

Among the many challenges Saudi Arabia has faced in recent months, one has come as a particularly unexpected disappointment: the cooling of relations between the desert kingdom and one of the main recipients of its largesse, Pakistan.

For decades Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a robust friendship with significant strategic and financial ramifications. But suddenly, Islamabad appears to feel much less warmly disposed toward its wealthy Arab friend.

The change came as a blast of cold air in April, when the Pakistani parliament voted unanimously to rebuff a Saudi request for troops and equipment to help its war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. After a lengthy, mostly one-sided debate, legislators resolved that “Pakistan should maintain neutrality” in the conflict.

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