"The message is that the civil government is not in a position to take decisions. We know where the decisions are taken and we are going there," he said. Similar sentiments were expressed by spokesperson for Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association Brigadier Syed Masud-ul-Hassan (Retd). He told Business Recorder that they (Saudi officials) first went where they thought the decision making power lay.
Analysts further stated that the visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir followed two days later by the visit of Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammad bin Salman reveals that relations are on track again after they had visibly cooled following our Parliament's decision to stay neutral in the Yemen conflict in April 2015.
Following intense back-channel diplomacy on the part of civil and military leaderships which eventually ended in a joint military drill and the army chief's visit, the relationship is now on a firm footing, experts said. A former ambassador to Saudi Arabia said it is clear that Saudi Arabia has decided that it would be worthwhile to strengthen and deepen its bilateral relations with Pakistan amidst tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and a deepening turmoil in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia's security and military relations with Pakistan were established in the 1960s. While Pakistan assisted Saudi Arabia in meeting its security needs, especially in terms of training its military forces, Saudi Arabia has provided Pakistan with vital economic assistance, especially after economic sanctions were imposed on Pakistan in 1998 in the aftermath of our nuclear test.
General Raheel Sharif stated during the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince that Pakistan will strongly react to any threat to Saudi Arabia; and that the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries is extremely important for Pakistan. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Muhammad bin Salman met General Raheel Sharif at GHQ in Rawalpindi. Prince Muhammad bin Salman said on this occasion that Saudi Arabia will support Pakistan in every matter.
Saudi Defence Minister was welcomed earlier at Noor Khan Airbase by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Foreign Advisor Sartaj Aziz and military officials. Prince Muhammad bin Salman then proceeded to GHQ from the airbase and met General Raheel Sharif unaccompanied by the two federal ministers.