Saudi FM’s visit

Despite the ties with the Saudis, little substance could be found in the official statement regarding the visit

New Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud dropped in for a day-long stop in Islamabad earlier this week. The visit, coming on the heels of the Kuala Lumpur summit which Pakistan backed out of at the eleventh hour, has been called a damage control exercise by some analysts. The Saudi foreign minister met with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan during the short trip. Despite the significance of ties with the Saudis, very little substance could be found in the official statement regarding the visit. FM Qureshi commented on the “deep-rooted and longstanding fraternal relationship” between the two countries and the mutual intention to strengthen it. Hajj-related issues were brought up. The importance of Saudi investment was highlighted. India was criticised by Qureshi and Imran. From the Saudi side, there was only praise for the role played by Pakistan in maintaining regional peace and stability, without giving any specifics. This would support the claims made in some reports that the focus of the trip was on symbolism, not substance.

The purpose of the trip was apparently to thank Imran for withdrawing from the Kuala Lumpur summit and dispel the impression that the Saudis hold a patronising attitude towards Islamabad. The move had led to harsh criticism of Pakistan. The most prominent critique came from Turkey, where President Recep Tayyib Erdogan was reported to have said that the Saudis used economic pressure to force Pakistan to stay away from the moot, where Iran and Qatar also participated.

While the Saudis called the claim “baseless” and insisted that its relationship with Pakistan is beyond the realm of threats, Pakistan had to tread on a wire to avoid offending Turkey or Malaysia. The Foreign Office eventually put out a confusing statement that suggested that Pakistan pulled out of a meeting to discuss issues facing the Muslim world because more time and effort was needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries, regarding possible division in the Ummah.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2019.

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