As Pakistan gloats over its mediator role following reports that US President Donald Trump entrusted Pakistan army chief Asim Munir to deliberate with Iran on its sweeping peace proposal, an analyst claims that Islamabad couldn’t have assumed the role without the knowledge and support of Saudi Arabia.
While the country claims Pakistan’s new role reflects growing confidence in Islamabad’s diplomatic role in regional disputes, Vali Nasr, a prominent Washington-based scholar, states that any Pakistani diplomatic initiative is unlikely to occur without the backing and support of Saudi Arabia. “Pakistan will only step up if it has Saudi backing — and prodding. Riyadh is likely very much in the picture,” he wrote in a post on X.
His statement assumes significance in the deep military ties shared between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the fact that any mediatory efforts from Islamabad wouldn’t happen without the support of the Kingdom.
As for Pakistan, it has to put up a balancing act between Iran and its foes. Pakistan shares close economic ties with Iran, with bilateral trade standing at US$3 billion.
However, it also has to express its overt support for Saudi Arabia, which sustained damage in multiple strikes from Iran. Considering that Riyadh and Islamabad have signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA), which necessitates a military response to any act of aggression against either party, Islamabad has to toe a line which aligns with Riyadh in the matter.
Pakistan has never officially addressed the issue, but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson, Musharraf Zaidi, has made his stance clear. “Whatever is needed from Pakistan vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will be there before it is needed [and] similarly for Saudi Arabia,” he was quoted as saying.
However, analyst Michael Kugelman believes Pakistan is far from being an unlikely US-Iran mediator. “Many high-level Pak-Iran meetings have happened over the last year. The US administration is very fond of Pakistan. Trump has said (Field Marshal Asim) Munir knows Iran better than most. Also worth noting is that Pakistan represents Iran’s diplomatic interests in the US,” Kugelman was quoted by Dawn.
