In a quiet but stinging blow to Islamabad, Saudi Arabia has slammed the door on a key visit by Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, according to claims by a former Pakistani military officer. Ex-army man Adil Raja says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally nixed Munir’s trip to Riyadh and refused meetings with any Pakistani leaders, a diplomatic freeze that’s rippling through Gulf ties just as Pakistan begs for cash infusions.
Raja dropped the bombshell on X (formerly Twitter), hinting at brewing Gulf storm clouds. “Tensions rising in the Gulf? After UAE President’s Pakistan visit, reports of Saudi-Pak rift. Sources say Army Chief Asim Munir’s Riyadh trip halted, Saudi Crown Prince refuses meetings with Pakistani leaders,” he posted. Neither Riyadh nor Islamabad has confirmed, but the whispers come at a brutal moment for Pakistan’s teetering economy, hooked on Gulf bailouts.
The timing stinks. It follows UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s recent swing through Pakistan, where PM Shehbaz Sharif pitched Islamabad as a Middle East peacemaker and cozied up for economic lifelines. Sharif’s crew touted Abu Dhabi’s backing publicly, but Gulf politics are a minefield. Reports in recent weeks flag unease between Saudi and UAE over Yemen flare-ups and shifting regional alliances—Pakistan’s UAE hug might’ve irked Riyadh.
Islamabad’s weak hand in a fast-flipping Middle East
If Raja’s intel holds, it’s a gut punch for Munir, whose military has long enjoyed Saudi red-carpet treatment: training deals, oil on easy terms, and billions in aid. A Crown Prince cold shoulder? That’s poison for a brass desperate for Riyadh’s wallet. Pakistan’s forex reserves are gasping; Gulf sugar daddies have shoveled in loans and deposits to keep the lights on. Any chill here exposes Islamabad’s weak hand in a fast-flipping Middle East.
Veteran analysts aren’t shocked. “Pakistan’s playing both sides, but Saudis don’t like sloppy loyalty,” one ex-diplomat told me off-record. Raja, who’s no stranger to controversy after fleeing Pakistan amid sedition charges, has a track record of spicy leaks—take ’em with salt, but they’re fueling chatter in Rawalpindi’s corridors.
Islamabad’s mum, as usual. Foreign Ministry flacks dodged questions Friday, mumbling about “strong bilateral ties.” But the subtext screams: Pakistan can’t afford a Saudi sulk. With IMF talks dragging and inflation biting, Gulf green is the oxygen. UAE’s embrace might buy time, but alienating the kingdom? Recipe for regret.
Pakistan’s Gulf gamble is backfiring
This isn’t isolated. Saudi-Pak bonds frayed before, remember the 2019 IMF bailout drama, when Riyadh chipped in $1 billion? Lately, though, Crown Prince MBS has pivoted: Vision 2030 domestic push, less tolerance for freeloaders. Pakistan’s Imran Khan era flirtations with Turkey and China didn’t help. Now, with Sharif back and Munir calling shots, a perceived UAE tilt could be the last straw.
For Pakistan’s generals, it’s personal. Munir’s Riyadh no-show, if real, signals eroding clout. Saudis have hosted Pakistani troops in Yemen ops past; now, radio silence? Rights groups and rivals will pounce, painting the army as isolated.
Bottom line: Pakistan’s Gulf gamble is backfiring. As one Islamabad insider griped, “We’re not mediators; we’re mendicants.” Riyadh’s quiet slap underscores it, loyalty’s a two-way street, and Islamabad’s running low on friends.
