Washington, March 17 (NationPress) Pakistan has demonstrated itself to be a trustworthy partner, leading to an increasing feeling of disappointment among Saudi Arabia’s leadership towards Islamabad amid the rising tensions in the Middle East.

Even with a defence agreement in place, Pakistan has failed to provide meaningful military aid or political backing to Saudi Arabia during the recent Iranian assaults on the Kingdom, as reported on Tuesday.

According to findings from the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir informed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Pakistan's military is currently engaged in a conflict with Afghanistan, which limits its capacity to send troops to Saudi Arabia.

Sources indicate that Saudi Arabia engaged in several discussions with both Munir and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking to clarify Islamabad's stance regarding the defence agreement.

The MEMRI report elaborates, “As Saudi Arabia confronts direct security threats amidst a wider regional conflict, Pakistan has opted for strategic ambiguity and has not provided real military assistance. For Saudi Arabia, the increasing ties between Pakistan and Iran underscore the necessity to reevaluate the practical significance of Islamabad's security obligations and consider the extent of reliance that can be placed on Pakistan as a long-term strategic ally.”

In an analysis for the Turkey-based think tank ‘Kafkassam’, journalist Natik Malikzada remarked that the defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was touted as a 'NATO-like alliance' in the Middle East, stipulating that “any aggression against one would be viewed as aggression against both.” However, following the February 28 US-Israeli assault on Iran, and Iran’s retaliatory actions against Gulf states, Pakistan has failed to offer any military commitments reminiscent of those implied by such a pact.

“Instead, Islamabad is currently utilizing the Afghanistan situation, which it has exacerbated, as a pretext for neglecting its obligations to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has intensified military actions across the border, resulting in the displacement of over 115,000 individuals in Afghanistan. This conflict, orchestrated by Pakistan, serves as a convenient justification for claiming they are preoccupied with their own issues, leaving them unavailable to assist Saudi Arabia,” he noted.

Highlighting Saudi Arabia’s disillusionment with Pakistan for not fulfilling the defence agreement, the report stated, “From Riyadh’s perspective, Pakistan presented this pact as a historic, serious, and strategic alliance. However, now that the moment of truth has arrived, Pakistan is conspicuously absent. Saudi Arabia is realizing in real-time that what Pakistan marketed as brotherhood and mutual defence was, in reality, a hollow and one-sided arrangement.”