History of Saudi-Pakistani relations


Issue 966 - 20 Mar 2014 | 1 minute read

The bilateral relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan goes back to the latter’s establishment in the 1940s. During the reign of King Faisal Bin Abdelaziz (1964-75), relations strengthened, punctuated by the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars in which Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan. King Faisal also promoted political, cultural, and religious bonds through institutions such as the Muslim World League (est. 1962) and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (est. 1969), and sought to create a strong alliance with Pakistan as a counterweight to the challenge posed by Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Arab nationalism.

Want to read more?

Subscribe to Gulf States Newsletter

View subscription options

Join our community

Sign up for an account to gain:

  • Set up news alerts on the countries and sectors that matter to you.
  • Free access to newsletter articles under 100 words.
  • Free access to GSN View articles articles.


View a selection of Free articles

Explore subscription options

Follow us on Google News