THE flurry of political and military contact with Saudi Arabia in recent times continued over the weekend with perhaps the most significant visit to Islamabad so far — by Mohammad bin Salman, the deputy crown prince and son of the ruling king.

Popular at home and thought to be the force behind his aging father, the young prince has also been the brash leader of Saudi Arabia’s headlong dive into regional wars.

Yet once again it appears that the Pakistani government has taken a sensible line. Whatever the demands that the prince and the present Saudi regime may have of Pakistan, the political and military leadership here have been consistent in their cautious response.

Pakistan will help protect the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia and its internal security, while externally it will help diplomatically resolve issues that Saudi Arabia may be facing.

While that formulation is unlikely to impress the present Saudi leadership, it is clearly the only realistic option for Pakistan.

Given the internal security demands of this country, the regional tensions with Afghanistan and the uneasy relationship with India, it simply makes no sense for Pakistani troops to be sent abroad to participate in military actions.

While Saudi fear and Iranian ambition may be driving many of the tensions and reckless actions in the Middle East and the Gulf, it is clearly not a situation that is beyond retrieval.

Patient diplomacy can work and the Pakistani example is quite relevant here. A year ago, it seemed unlikely that a PML-N government or a military with close ties to Saudi Arabia could resist urgent and adamant demands by a new Saudi leadership.

The relationship between Pakistan (in particular the political government and the military) and Saudi Arabia appeared too lopsided for Pakistan to resist seriously.

Moreover, Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia’s chief rival, Iran, did not appear to be strong enough to resist the Saudi logic.

Yet, a sensible line was taken, backed by parliament and public opinion, that Pakistan’s interests lay in maintaining relative neutrality and pursuing diplomacy. But diplomacy needs to be pursued more urgently.

Could Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity, in fact, come under threat if the various conflicts in the Middle East drag on?

If that were to happen, the repeated and public pledges by Pakistan could be put to the test. Neutrality will be hard to maintain if a live war erupts — something only diplomacy can prevent.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2016