Pakistan bowed before Saudi Arabia… had to cancel a deal worth Rs 42 thousand crore with Sudan.

New Delhi: Pakistan has canceled a $1.5 billion (42,000 crore Pakistani rupees) deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan. This move follows a request from Saudi Arabia to cancel the agreement and stop funding the purchase.

For nearly three years, the conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The conflict has now become the focus of clashing foreign interests and threatens to tear this Red Sea-coasting country, a major gold producer, apart.

Reuters first reported in January that the deal was in its final stages and had been brokered by Saudi Arabia. However, at that time, no funding from Riyadh was disclosed. This deal was one of several defense deals being negotiated by the Pakistani military. These deals gained momentum due to the prominence given to Pakistani military jets and weapons systems following the clashes with India in May last year.

Saudi Arabia urges Pakistan to back off
Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistan’s closest allies and has served as a key source of crucial loans and funding for Islamabad’s struggling economy. Their relationship has deepened since the two countries signed a mutual defense agreement last year. Under this agreement, an attack on either country will be considered an attack on both. One of the security sources said Saudi Arabia has indicated that Pakistan should cancel the deal, as it has now abandoned the idea of ​​funding it.

The Saudi government’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sudan’s armed forces also did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The army and air force have never previously confirmed that such a deal is under consideration.

European countries’ advice to Saudi and UAE
The source further stated that some Western countries had advised Riyadh to distance itself from the ongoing ‘proxy wars’ in Africa. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have supported opposing sides in conflict-ridden countries across the region—including Sudan. While both sides claim to support a diplomatic solution to the conflict, Saudi Arabia has openly supported the Sudanese military. The UAE has been accused of providing logistical support to the RSF—a charge the UAE officially denies.

The source said the decision to end Saudi Arabia’s funding of the deal was the result of a meeting between Sudanese military leaders and Saudi officials in Riyadh in March. Another security source said another $4 billion deal with the Libyan National Army, reported by Reuters in December, was also in jeopardy because the Saudis were “reassessing their strategy” in both countries.