Islamabad, Pakistan – On April 11, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shook hands with United States Vice President JD Vance, guiding him to a seat for talks on the sidelines of the highest-level direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution of Iran. At almost the same time, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence made a very different announcement. In a statement carried by the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, Riyadh confirmed the arrival of a Pakistani military force at King Abdulaziz airbase in the kingdom’s Eastern province under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed last year.
The statement said the deployment included fighter and support aircraft from the Pakistan air force, aimed at strengthening joint military coordination and raising operational readiness between the two countries. In the two days that have passed since then, the Pakistani government has made no official statement on the development. The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment sent by Al Jazeera.
The Saudi announcement immediately underscored Pakistan’s delicate juggling act in the middle of a war that has destabilised the global economy, led to attacks and deaths in multiple countries and has now led to a high-stakes escalation between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. On the one hand, Islamabad has been a central mediator between the US and Iran, hosting their teams last Saturday and driving attempts to get them to continue with talks after the breakdown in their negotiations. On the other hand, the SMDA represents a commitment from Pakistan to militarily assist a key ally that was repeatedly hit by Iran before the ceasefire, with Tehran offering no guarantees it will not strike Saudi Arabia or other Gulf nations again.
For now, Pakistani officials said, they can manage both roles. A Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Islamabad remains committed to facilitating the process for as many rounds as required, adding that diplomatic contact between all sides continues. Sharif is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days, with visits to other regional countries, including Turkiye, also likely as Islamabad seeks to sustain diplomatic momentum before the ceasefire deadline.
But with a US naval blockade of Iranian ports now in effect and the ceasefire Islamabad brokered between Washington and Tehran set to expire on April 22, Pakistan’s balancing act could become more complicated. At the heart of this tightrope walk is the SMDA. A day before the Islamabad talks opened, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan made a brief visit to Islamabad, calling on PM Sharif at the prime minister’s House.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir were also present. According to an official statement, Sharif expressed appreciation for Riyadh’s “longstanding economic and financial support” to Pakistan, which he said had played a vital role in stabilising the country’s economy. The visit underscored the breadth of the Pakistan-Saudi relationship, spanning defence, diplomacy and finance.
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