After months of silence, government finally stated in the Senate that Pakistan would pursue a balanced policy in its relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser on Foreign Affairs, briefed the upper house that an understanding among the members of Islamic military alliance had been reached during the consultations that member states could decide which activities to join on a case-by-case basis. Mr Aziz, however, stressed that presence of former army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif at the helm of military coalition can help in maintaining a balance in Pakistan’s foreign policy. It appears that government has adopted an optimistic outlook towards future engagements of Islamic military coalition. Advisor Aziz chose not to comment on the recent media reports that Pakistan has agreed, in principle, to send more than 7000 troops to Saudi Arabia. Though the adviser stated that terms of reference of the military alliance have not been finalised yet, but it appears details are being worked out? When will government take parliament and public in confidence on the on-going developments?
A realistic appraisal suggests that Saudi Arabia is driving the policy agenda of the coalition of Sunni Muslim nations. The recent tensions with Qatar show that individual member states don’t have enough space to pursue independent foreign policy towards Iran. How can Pakistan whose former Army Chief heads the coalition defy the patently anti-Iran stance of the coalition and stand up to the Saudi bosses?
Pakistan’s decision-makers have landed the country into a deep quagmire. Annoying Saudi Arabia is not an option given our close ties and the state of our economy where remittances take care of millions of households. On the other hand, Iran is vital to our regional security interests. Given the unfolding of the Afghan endgame, Iran will be a crucial player in the years to come. If we are seen as a partisan in Saudi-Iran battle for the Middle East, we will create another hostile neighbour. Sadly, this was avoidable had our policy makers remained steadfast after the parliament vetoed our support to Saudi war on Yemen.
