Junaid Ali Malik |
Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Iran both have immense importance for Pakistan. Iran was the first country that recognized it. Saudi Arabia is the most sacred place for Muslims because of the holy cities of Makkah and Medina. Both countries have supported Pakistan from the very beginning of its creation.
Keeping them close and maintaining a strong relationship with both is slowly becoming a tougher task as their ties continue to deteriorate and they have intensified their campaigns to tarnish each other’s image. The instances of Yemen, Syria, Libya, Palestine and other parts of the world – where the Muslims Sunni and Shias are present – are evident.
Instead of indulging into internal stifle, it is better to have a dexterous and striking team of foreign affairs led by the Foreign Minister but it does not possess this at the moment.
The rulers of KSA are even ready to align with Israel when it comes to deface Iran. They have already formed a number of alliances with America to further their influence against Iran. Israel’s Army Chief Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot affirmed that he was ready to cooperate with KSA to curtail the sway of Iran in the region.
The general stated that he was ready to exchange intelligence information with KSA and any other moderate Arab nations. He also confirmed that KSA and Israel had a lot of common interests.
This is a bit shaky for the Muslim world and an authentication of the assumption that KSA and Iran will remain hostile to each other. A country like Pakistan needs to ensure that it finds a balance amid the tussle going on between them.
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Muslims are majorly divided in a way they should not be. Iran is leading one side while KSA another. Before the Iranian Revolution in 1989, it was in the good books of western powers including USA. After the revolution things changed.
Kulbushan Jadhav, who was meddling in Baluchistan and inciting violence, was holding the Iranian visa and Indian Passport when caught by Pakistani authorities.
It was an Islamic Revolution that toppled the prevalent regime of the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi. KSA, on the other side, remained a closed ally of the US (an unyielding and blind patron of Israel).
So, Pakistan, consisting of about 80% Sunnis and 20% Shias and others, has only two options – either to stay away from this conflict or to join any side. The latter option is quite perilous and is being demanded by both these states. KSA is forcing Pakistan to pick it and curtail its relations with Iran. The supposed denunciation from the side of Pakistan seems to be the foremost rationale for giving Narendra Modi the red carpet treatment from the Saudis. Both India and Saudi formed a number of unexpected pacts including intelligence information sharing.
On the other side, Iran is also not happy with Pakistan and has raised objections on accepting the leadership of the 41 nation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC). Iran really believes the coalition has been formed against it. General (r) Raheel Sharif is heading this alliance but he has emphatically said that it was not formed against any country but is to get rid of the menace of terrorism.
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The general stated that he was ready to exchange intelligence information with KSA and any other moderate Arab nations. He also confirmed that KSA and Israel had a lot of common interests.
Iran is also cooperating with India majorly for the construction of its Chabahar Port neighboring Balochistan. Kulbushan Jadhav, who was meddling in Baluchistan and inciting violence, was holding the Iranian visa and Indian Passport when caught by Pakistani authorities.
Pakistan can only hope that the situation in these countries gets better. Realistically this does not really seem to be happening in the future. Pakistan should find out a way to balance its relations with both of these leading countries of the Muslim World.
They are both protecting their own interests, and it is time for Pakistan to protect its own. Instead of indulging into internal stifle, it is better to have a dexterous and striking team of foreign affairs led by the Foreign Minister but it does not possess this at the moment. Both are uniformly imperative for Pakistan as they supported it in various occasions, and this is what history tells us.
Junaid Ali Malik is a professional writer. He considers writing is the sole purpose of his life. He has done masters in Commerce and History and holds PG Diploma in International Affairs. He is an entrepreneur by profession. He can be contacted at alimalikmalik627@gmail.com or @junaidalimalik1. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.