Why is Pakistan negotiating hostility with Saudi Arabia?

Posted on 12th Aug 2020 by rohit kumar

If Pakistan did not get the support of Saudi Arabia on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, then Pakistan took Saudi Arabia in the face.

 

Recently, Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi publicly criticized Saudi Arabia for not standing up to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) of Islamic countries against India on the Kashmir issue.

 

During a TV show, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, "I am once again requesting the OIC to convene a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. If you do not plan it, I will be forced to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of those Islamic countries who are with us on the Kashmir issue and support the oppressed Kashmiris. "

 

Saudi Arabia has already described the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir as an internal matter of India.

 

However, in the emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the OIC contact group in June, after August 5, 2019, concern was expressed over the human rights situation and situation in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

 

It was also said in the meeting that the decision taken by the Government of India on Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019 and the new domicile rules have been implemented are the UN Security Council resolution and international law (including the fourth Including the Geneva Convention).

 

At the same time, India's commitment to accept the UN Security Council resolution is also violated. Saudi Arabia mainly influences OIC.

 

After critical remarks from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has asked him to pay a loan of one billion dollars.

 

In the year 2018, Saudi Arabia gave a loan of $ 3.2 billion to Pakistan. Saudi Arabia has stopped giving oil to Pakistan since May due to the non-payment of the loan.

 

The Pakistani media is also criticizing Shah Mahmood Qureshi's statement because it has increased the pressure on Pakistan to return the loan.

 

Experts are seeing this as a major change in Saudi Arabia's attitude towards Pakistan.

 

Changing equations

On this change in Saudi Arabia's attitude towards Pakistan, Professor Sanjay Bhardwaj of Center for South Asia Studies at JNU says, "It has to be seen as the changes happening globally." This is due to changing equations between Asian countries. America and China are making their different equations in Asian countries.

 

"Saudi Arabia has traditionally been an ally of the United States and Saudi Arabia has some kind of dominance in the Islamic world." Now, when a new Cold War situation is prevailing between the US and China, China is trying to make its inroads into Asian countries and is creating new equations for it. ”

 

He further states, "China is going to make a big deal with Iran. Pakistan is also investing heavily in Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In this way, both Pakistan and Iran are getting close to China, whether it is about an investment or geopolitical relations. ''

 

China wants to create an alternative to Saudi Arabia in the Islamic world. For this, he is looking towards countries like Iran, Malaysia, and Pakistan. A big Islamic summit has also taken place in Malaysia, in which Pakistan and Iran have strongly participated and Saudi Arabia was not present in it. ”

 

Apart from this, the Government of Pakistan had announced the inclusion of Saudi Arabia in the CPEC, a nearly $ 50 billion economic agreement with China in 2018 in 2018. The Imran government also had to face criticism from opposition parties on this issue.

 

But later the government of Pakistan took a U-turn on its decision and clarified that CPEC will remain a bilateral agreement.

 

In the last several years, India's proximity to the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, has increased. Apart from economic relations between India, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, relations are now deepening about security policy.

 

Iran is also an issue

Professor Sanjay Bhardwaj explains, "India, USA, and UAE are becoming natural partners in these changing equations. Saudi Arabia and Iran can never come together and because of Saudi Arabia's proximity to America, it is becoming closer to India as well. These changing equations are the result of changes taking place on a global scale. "

 

But is China willing to compromise its interests in the Gulf countries market due to increasing proximity to Pakistan and Iran?

 

Professor Sanjay Bhardwaj says that China is looking to explore its possibilities in the Gulf countries market, but Iran and Pakistan are more important than Saudi Arabia as far as geopolitics is concerned. China wants to pull Saudi Arabia out of the influence of America, but it never wants to do it at the cost of Pakistan and Iran. Apart from this, China is also trying to bring Pakistan and Bangladesh together.

 

Senior BBC Urdu journalist Saqlain Imam does not look at this issue only in terms of the changing equations of the US and China in Asia and does not believe that any hostile relations have started between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. They currently believe that there is tension between the two countries.

 

He sees the role of Israel and Iran in the current equations that are changing.

 

He says, "For the first time, there is going to be a king in Saudi Arabia who is going to stay for a long time." So because of this change, America is deciding its strategy according to the future. On the other hand, the King always needs foreign support as well as local support, because there is a danger of rebellion at the local level in the tribal society and therefore the support of foreign power is needed. America is currently supporting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Despite this, there remains a feeling of insecurity in the future. This is mainly because of Israel and Iran. "

 

Role of China and Israel

He further states, "All these countries are changing the equation of mutual relations, behind this is Israel and Iran." America and China are behind them. In all of these, who is playing the most important and exporting role, then it is Israel. This is the reason that after the arrival of Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's relationship with Israel is in the best phase in history. Never been so good before. But today these two countries are united against Iran. With this, Israel is getting the support of Saudi Arabia as one of the most effective Muslim countries. "

 

He says, "Earlier Saudi Arabia was identified as a Wahhabi country, not a Sunni country, but now it has been identified as a Sunni country. From this, an attempt has been made to convey that whoever is against Iran, he is a partner of Saudi Arabia. So now Saudi Arabia, India, and Israel are on one side because it is with America. On the other hand, since the time of Musharraf, Pakistan is gradually becoming closer to China. Israel is playing a big role in creating this equation and it is strongly against Iran. "

 

On the changing relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, he says that the Pakistani army has always been going to protect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the sixties.

 

This military relationship with Saudi Arabia is still established. The only difference came that Mohammed bin Salman has become closer to the West to secure his future but he has not evicted the Pakistan Army even today.

 

Therefore, a tense situation has arisen between these two countries, but this is not a matter of enmity.