Steer a middle course

Uncertainty muddles perceptions around exactly what should be the role of Pakistan in the 34-member coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia tasked to fight terrorism and extremism. The 34 members do not include three troubling omissions — Iran, Syria and Iraq. Questions have been raised in the National Assembly of Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, who was as vague as he ever is. That he responded in writing rather than in person is perhaps indicative of the distance the government wants to put between itself and parliament in this matter.



Perhaps Mr Aziz is as much in the dark as the rest of the nation, though he did say that the six-point objectives of the coalition were shared with Pakistan in the last week. There were also questions about our participation in the ongoing military exercises in Saudi Arabia, and it transpires that those of our military that are participating are drawn from a standing cohort of around a thousand that are a permanent fixture there, and no new forces have been deployed from the mainland.

Questions and yet more questions — and a ringing silence in the answers’ department. Pakistan welcomed the announcement made on December 14, 2015 by the Saudi Arabian press agency regarding the 34-member coalition — but appeared to have little by way of foreknowledge of what was being proposed. If there was any detailed consultation prior to the announcement, it is not in the public domain. Other states were likewise somewhat taken aback.

In broad terms, the government is supportive of any move at a multilateral level that provides a counter to the terrorism that is sweeping the world today, and we support that. Yet we would urge a degree of caution in terms of our engagement with what Saudi Arabia is proposing. Pakistan has already, and rightly, declined the option of participating in the war that Saudi Arabia is fighting in Yemen, and our long-held policy of only participating in UN-sanctioned overseas operations must be maintained. Saudi Arabia is most certainly one of our most important allies — but not the only one.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th,  2016.

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