Saudi Arabia’s soft power in Pakistan

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s soft power is visible in Pakistan because of the historic relations between Riyadh and Islamabad but the erstwhile scholarship mainly focuses on its hard power and the strategic dynamics of its relationship with Pakistan. This paper aims to bridge the gap by investigating how Riyadh uses various soft power instruments and how they are received in Pakistan. Understanding its centrality in the Muslim world, Saudi Arabia has been investing in the following inter-connected soft power instruments: religion, culture, history, Islamic education, and diplomacy by dominating the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.