Happy 41st birthday to MBS and 10th to modern Saudi Arabia

June 21, 2017 is the day Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was designated Crown Prince. Saudi commentators state that it marks the symbolic birth of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

MBS was born on August 31, 1985. Hence, this year marks a double milestone as the Crown Prince turns 41, and his project of a modernized Saudi Arabia reaches its tenth year.

In global statecraft, birthdays of national leaders often serve as vital vehicles for soft diplomacy. While Saudi monarchs traditionally keep personal celebrations private, world leaders and Gulf dignitaries took to X (formerly Twitter) to extend their felicitations to MBS even though the Crown Prince remains one of the few global figures who does not maintain a personal handle on the platform.

The genesis of modern Saudi Arabia is inextricably linked to MBS’s elevation in 2017, a moment that coincided with Donald Trump’s first term as U.S. President. Choosing Riyadh as his maiden foreign destination in May 2017, Trump famously joined King Salman in the traditional Saudi sword dance.

At the time, that visit sparked sharp critique among opinion-makers in Islamabad, many of whom were tied to Washington-backed development projects and foreign-funded policy research. Usually, Trump’s opposite Democratic Party runs these projects.
Hate material was produced in Islamabad in the name of countering Islamophobia and efforts to normalize relations with Israel were on at that time.

Today, as Washington rolls back those initiatives, those same commentators have pivoted seamlessly, singing the praises of MBS and the Saudi leadership. Meanwhile, investigative watchdogs probe corruption allegations against ringleader of the academic cartel that was once engaged in producing hate material, though its members remain unchecked.

When Trump publicly endorsed MBS as “wise beyond his years” following his appointment as Crown Prince, the young leader was already serving as Minister of Defense and Deputy Crown Prince. MBS retained the defense portfolio until September 2022, when a royal decree formally reassigned the ministry to his younger brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. Internationally, congratulations poured in from figures like UK Prime Minister Theresa May and then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who reaffirmed Pakistan’s confidence in the Kingdom’s future. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has long maintained a warm relationship with Riyadh, where its leadership enjoys exceptional hospitality.

Yet the true miracle of Saudi modernization lies not merely in high-level defense deals or diplomatic maneuvering, but in its relentless focus on youth—who constitute over 60 percent of the population. As a young and dynamic leader, MBS aligned his Vision 2030 directly with their aspirations. Today, Saudi media graduates make global creative impacts, the national football team commands international respect, and the Kingdom stands ready to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

In stark contrast, Pakistani youth, despite their immense potential, remain sidelined by administrative self-aggrandization. Since President Pervez Musharraf established the Higher Education Commission (HEC), few leaders beyond Dr. Tariq Banuri have offered a meaningful vision for higher education. Consequently, our universities have devolved into assembly lines where academics are overburdened by procedural research that exists solely for promotion, detached from real-world utility. While an expanded Pakistan-Saudi partnership in technical education is urgently needed, the current bureaucratic setup at HEC remains ill-equipped to realize this vision without a total overhaul of this entity.

The narrative shifts among Pakistani commentators reveals a deeper truth. It shows that these pundits have exhausted their opportunities in Washington.
Their products of hate, chaos, regime changes, Taliban, Afghan Jihad, sectarianism, ethnic differences etc have all passed their expiry date. Now they sell making administrative units, playing global games and what not. The people of Pakistan may not be able to pay the price of their games this time. If the people are weakened, who can bear their shenanigans. This is a recipe for self destruction. Even the worst of the fools in the history knew that if people are weak, the government is shaky. It is about time the world saw this chunk in their shiny armour and exploit this weakness.
They have watched Riyadh evolve beyond unilateral alignment with the US toward a strategy of active geopolitical hedging, highlighted by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s landmark 2022 visit and economic deals.

When Trump returned to Riyadh in May 2025 after starting his second term as the president in January 2025, the atmosphere was markedly different. There were no sword dances; Saudi Arabia had already solidified its multi-aligned strategic posture. By backing aggressive postures in the Middle East, Washington only hastened Saudi Arabia’s defense diversification.

As we celebrate MBS’s 41st birthday, we also mark a decade of a transformed, resilient Saudi Arabia. Happy birthday to the modern Kingdom and its architect from Pakistan.