The writer is Editor of The Express Tribune
A flurry of visits by top ranking Saudi officials leaves us puzzled over what stand Pakistan will take with regards the divisions in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince and defence minister, Mohammed bin Salman, arrived in Islamabad this week to discuss our role in the 34-nation anti-terror coalition of Islamic countries that is being formed.
Mohammed bin Salman is the force behind the alliance, whose formation he announced in December. At the time, our foreign secretary claimed that he did not know of this alliance. Now we are wiser. Much has been discussed and settled since then.
Mohammed bin Salman’s visit comes just four days after the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al Jubeir, travelled to Islamabad and held wide ranging talks with our civil and military leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif.
We are told that after a successful visit by Jubeir, Salman arrived on our shores to discuss the “finer details” of the coalition alliance. But what we are committing to the alliance remains under wraps.
There have been calls to discuss the finer details in parliament, but just like the details of the so-called surprise visit by prime minister Modi to Lahore, it is very probable that we will hear very little on this from our government.
Our master of waffle, foreign ministry PM advisor Sartaj Aziz, has perfected the art of saying little while speaking a lot. It is an art he probably learnt over his more than two decades in service of the PML-N. On a side note, one can always argue that Aziz now be made foreign minister instead of remaining an advisor. He has served the PM well.
Coming back to the Saudi coalition force, there are many things on which we need answers. For example, an official from our side has already said that Pakistan will not become part of any action that will be against any specific country. This is a reference to Iran, with whom the Saudis are having a serious diplomatic confrontation. We cannot afford the same. Iran is a neighbor and a friend.
Our reluctance to join the Saudi alliance against the Houthi rebels seems to have been forgotten for the time being. Barely eight months back, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, had warned Pakistan of having to pay a “heavy price” for taking on what he called an “ambiguous stand” on the issue.
He had said that Pakistan should take a clear position “in favour of its strategic relations with the six-nation Arab Gulf cooperation Council”. Gargash took the view that the Gulf was in a dangerous confrontation, its strategic security is on the edge and “the moment of truth distinguishes between the real ally and the ally of media and statements.”
He had tweeted moments after our parliament passed the resolution insisting on neutrality in the Yemen conflict. Pakistani embassy officials confirm that relations between Abu Dhabi and Islamabad suffered as a result of our decision to remain neutral. There were many within Pakistan who argued that this was the time to stand up and be counted. Or was it? Will relations improve now?
Now we are part of a coalition of 34 mainly Muslim countries to coordinate a fight against terrorist organisations. The group would be led by Saudi Arabia, which would host a joint operations centre to coordinate efforts. The Sharif government needs to take the country into confidence over this. With our military making rapid successes against terrorists in the Zarb-e-Azb operation, we should be clear what our next goals are.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2016.
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