The possibility is real and the writer has accordingly pointed out the so-called Shia and other issues in the Kingdom.
RAWALPINDI: This is with reference to Ayesha Ijaz Khan’s article of March 28 titled “Is Saudi Arabia next?”. The writer has written an insightful piece on the possibility of a popular protest in Saudi Arabia, similar to that sweeping across much of the Arab world. The possibility is real and the writer has accordingly pointed out the so-called Shia factor and a few other issues in the Kingdom.
There are other potentially more powerful factors as well. One is a large expatriate population in many Saudi cities which feels frustrated or hamstrung under a very tight Saudi security system. Another could be simmering discontent amongst ordinary Saudis due to a clearly inequitable distribution of wealth and widespread nepotism. This is compounded by the near total absence of public forums or participatory political platforms.
Brigadier (retd) Mehboob Qadir
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2011.
