Will Pakistan Fight Iran? Speculations Rife As Shahbaz Sharif Visits Saudi Arabia Amid Middle East War

Riyadh: Pakistan often talks about Islamic unity. Now that the US and Israel have attacked Iran, Saudi Arabia is also on the American side in this conflict. In such circumstances, Pakistan has not appealed for Islamic unity and is directly seen as siding with Saudi Arabia. It neither preached Islamic unity to Saudi Arabia nor appealed for a compromise with Iran. It has directly supported Saudi Arabia, and Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif himself visited the Islamic country. Previously, Pakistan had raised Saudi Arabia's security concerns.

Why is Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia?

This stance is believed to indicate that Pakistan has supported Saudi Arabia solely for its own debt-related interests. Furthermore, the Shia-Sunni conflict is also important. Pakistan does not want to be seen as too closely allied with the Shia country Iran, while aligning with the Sunni country Saudi Arabia would also benefit internal politics. Furthermore, Pakistan has received substantial loans from Saudi Arabia and has also been guaranteed energy security during times of crisis. In return, Pakistan has attempted to guarantee Saudi Arabia's security by flaunting its nuclear weapons. Last year, the two countries signed a defense agreement.

In this agreement, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agreed that an attack on either country would be considered an attack on both countries, and they would fight together. Now, the problem is that Iran, itself an Islamic country, is attacking Saudi Arabia. The problem for Pakistan is that it receives funding from Saudi Arabia, even though Iran is its neighbor. If Pakistan grows closer to Saudi Arabia, Iran could also create problems in Balochistan. Balochistan is a cultural entity, a large part of which also lies within Iran. Therefore, Pakistan has always had issues here and could at any time create problems for Pakistan.

What stance has Pakistan taken?

It should be noted that just a day ago, Pakistani PM's spokesperson Musharraf Zaidi had said that wherever Saudi Arabia needs us, we will stand with them. Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif himself has left for Saudi Arabia. Government sources say he has arrived at the invitation of Mohammed bin Salman. During this visit, the two countries are expected to discuss regional unrest, instability, and Iran's stance. Shahbaz Sharif is in Saudi Arabia for just a day. Therefore, it is believed that he may have left to discuss something important.