Hard Number: Saudi Arabia picks up Pakistan’s tab again

The extra cash comes just before Islamabad sends a $3.5 billion debt repayment to Saudi Arabia’s friend-turned-rival, the UAE. This isn’t the first time that Saudi Arabia has provided Pakistan, a relatively poor country with a mighty military, with funding. In 2018, Riyadh gave Pakistan a rescue package worth $6 billion as it faced an economic crisis. What’s the benefit to the Saudis? Pakistan provides the Kingdom with security by placing it under its nuclear umbrella. It has also deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, amid Iranian bombing of the Kingdom.