The terrorist assaults in Pahalgam occurred during Prime Minister Modi’s official visit to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom promptly offered India support after the incident. It summed up how drastically its strategy had changed, with zero tolerance for terrorism and increased counterterrorism cooperation with nations like India.
Following the horrific Pahalgam attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to cancel his eagerly anticipated trip to Saudi Arabia and return to India. Even though the trip was cut short, the Prime Minister’s visit was noteworthy and produced a number of important results. The last time an Indian prime minister visited the port city of Jeddah was over 40 years ago, and this was Modi’s first visit. Following a 21-gun salute, Modi met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and had productive delegation-level discussions.
The two presidents went over the entire range of cooperation, including commerce, energy, and defense. The engagement’s sheer scope is noteworthy. Over the last 20 years, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and India has changed from one of transaction to strategic cooperation. Trade, investments, space, healthcare, defense, and other areas are all part of the collaboration between the two regional superpowers. The beginning of defense, security, and counterterrorism collaboration has been arguably the most impressive.
How Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s friendship soured
The Saudis and Pakistan had close defense and security cooperation for many years. Pakistan gave the House of Saud military and police support, including a nuclear cover, under the pretext of Islamic brotherhood. Up to 15,000 Pakistani soldiers were based in the kingdom during the 1970s and 1980s. The Saudi military has benefited greatly from Pakistan’s training assistance and even small arms sales.
Pakistan received billions of dollars in aid in return. The Saudis had invested billions into Pakistan as a frontline state during the Afghan struggle against the Soviet Union.
Two incidents shattered this alliance: the rise of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which eventually changed its name to the Islamic State and posed a direct threat to Saudi Arabia. All terrorist organizations originated in Pakistan. The second was Pakistan’s 2015 unwillingness to support Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni civil war.
The Gulf monarchs, particularly Saudi Arabia, the last absolute monarchy in the world, were also deeply alarmed by the Arab Spring. In fact, the US, which up until that point had been the Gulf rulers’ source of net security, backed the Arab Spring. Following the 9/11 attacks, Saudi Arabia’s involvement in financing terrorism was also the subject of international scrutiny. The Saudis needed to diversify their defense and security alliances and reevaluate their foreign strategy. It was hard to ignore India’s promise here.
Saudi Arabia has a new perspective on India.
Bilateral relations had a milestone in 2010 when then-prime minister Manmohan Singh visited Riyadh and the two countries were promoted to the status of “strategic partnership.” In the same year, an extradition deal was signed between Saudi Arabia and India. The first Indian defense minister to visit the kingdom was Defense Minister AK Antony in 2012, which greatly strengthened defense relations between the two nations, particularly in the area of counterterrorism.
Today, terrorism is not tolerated in Saudi Arabia.
Given this, it is noteworthy that Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia coincided with the Pahalgam terror strikes. The Saudis have long recognized India’s concerns about terror, particularly cross-border terror and Pakistan’s role in fostering it, and they now have zero tolerance for terrorism or religious extremism. The Crown Prince has “condemned the terror attack and offered any help to India in this regard,” according to Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Islamist extremists such as Abu Jundal, a leader of the Indian Mujahideen supported by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was residing in Saudi Arabia at the time of his expulsion in 2012, have been extradited by the kingdom. Since then, Saudi Arabia has frequently deported people India has wanted for terrorist-related reasons. The rapidly growing economic and business partnership with India has naturally led to an increase in counterterrorism cooperation. India offers a stable and secure investment environment, and the Saudis have pledged to invest $100 billion there. Over 40 Indian businesses have set up shop in Saudi Arabia, and more collaborative cooperation in the defense industry is planned. There are 2.7 million Indians living in the kingdom. 18% of Saudi Arabia’s LNG exports and 14% of its crude oil exports are imported by India.
Saudi Arabia continues to exert influence over Pakistan.
Even while Pakistan has denied any involvement in the strikes, the Saudis still have a lot of leverage over it. A $3 billion loan from the Saudis to Pakistan was carried over last year, and another $5 billion is anticipated to be disbursed this year. The Saudis have also agreed to postpone for a year Pakistan’s payment of $1.2 billion for the kingdom’s oil imports.
It is unclear how events surrounding yesterday’s attacks will play out. Saudi comprehension and assistance, however, will be crucial.
