Pakistan freezes $1.5 billion Sudan weapons sale after Saudi Arabia's objection: Report

Pakistan has put a deal to provide weapons and jets to Sudan on hold after Saudi ​Arabia's call to terminate the agreement.

According to a report by Reuters, talks on the deal worth $1.5 billion between Pakistan and Sudan were in their last stages in January and had been brokered by Saudi ⁠Arabia. The deal was among several defence ​sales being negotiated by the Pakistani military with Sudan.

Sudan army is in a never-ending fight with the country's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, triggering the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistan's closest allies and has been a source of critical loans and financing for Islamabad's ailing economy. Their relationship has deepened since the signing last year of a mutual defence pact treating aggression ​against either as an attack on both.

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Saudi's call for termination

"Saudi Arabia has signalled that Pakistan should terminate the deal after ​it dropped the idea of financing it," a security source told Reuters. The source added that some Western countries had advised Riyadh to stay away from ​proxy wars in Africa.

The termination of the deal followed a meeting between Sudan army leaders and Saudi authorities in Riyadh last month.

Another $4 billion deal ⁠with the ​Libyan National Army, reported by Reuters in December, was also ​in jeopardy because the Saudis are "revisiting their strategy" in both countries, the second security source said.

Pak debt deadline looms

Meanwhile, Pakistan's central bank has to repay the outstanding $1.5 billion of the $3.5 billion loan to the United Arab Emirates by April 23.

"Pakistan has repaid USD 2 billion of a USD 3.5 billion fund, which was placed by the United Arab Emirates with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) deposit with the central bank," a spokesperson of the State Bank of Pakistan told PTI.

"The amount of USD 2 billion was transferred to the UAE following the maturity of deposits held by the State Bank. The remaining amount has to be paid by April 23," he said.

With inputs from agencies