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Amid an more and more polarised Muslim world, Pakistan’s technique to keep diplomatic ties with nations within the Middle East is now not working.
In a break from the previous the place the Gulf nations balanced their relations with Pakistan and India, they’re now seen moving in direction of New Delhi and distancing from Islamabad, in accordance to a report within the Al Jazeera.
Pakistan, alternatively, is seen moving closer to Turkey and Malaysia – two nations that Saudi Arabia sees as challengers to its stronghold inside the Muslim world, in accordance to overseas coverage analysts Abdul Basit and Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed writing within the Al Jazeera.
The relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, went haywire final month when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi openly rebuked the dominion for its lack of help for Islamabad’s pursuits on the Kashmir challenge.
During a tv talk-show, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi made a press release that irked the Saudi “big brother”, the place he mentioned that Pakistan would be “compelled” to “call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir.”
In Basit and Shahab Ahmed’s article, the comment by Pakistani Foreign Minister was not taken effectively by Riyadh and was seen as a veiled risk to concoct a brand new aspect in opposition to the Saudi-dominated Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In retaliation, the dominion was fast to request the sudden reimbursement of a billion-dollar mortgage prolonged to Pakistan in November 2018, which was renegotiated simply six months in the past. Besides this, it additionally refused to renew a deferred oil funds scheme that was half of the identical mortgage which was given to Islamabad when the nation was attempting to keep away from a attainable sovereign default.
After Riyadh raised the bar, Pakistan was pressured on a again foot. Thereafter, Qureshi, attempting to save face, refuted reviews that ties have strained between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia up to now few weeks. “The kingdom has neither asked Islamabad to return its loan nor has it suspended oil supply to Pakistan,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by The News International.
As a outcome of Qureshi’s backtracking, Pakistani journalists slammed the Foreign Minister saying it contradicted the feedback he made earlier.
Soon after, Pakistan went into damage-control mode and had to ship Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Riyadh. However, the go to turned out be futile because the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) didn’t meet Bajwa, and so they had been left to meet with Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
According to the Al Jazeera report, “the latest diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should be seen in the broader context of recent strategic realignments in the Middle East and the Muslim world.”
“For some time, Pakistan has been struggling to keep to its traditional policy of maintaining neutral relations with rival Muslim powers. While Islamabad is concerned about the deepening strategic and economic cooperation between its arch-rival India and a group of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is equally frustrated by Pakistan’s overtures towards Muslim-majority states it views as hostile, such as Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar,” it mentioned.
The Gulf nations at the moment are visibly seen moving in direction of India and distancing from Pakistan. The tides are handing over India’s favour. One such instance is MBS’s February 2019 go to of South Asia.
During his tour, the Saudi Crown Prince made the unprecedented transfer of visiting India straight after Pakistan. After signing agreements value USD 20 billion with Pakistan, MBS mentioned he expects Riyadh’s investments in India “to exceed USD 100 billion in the coming two years”.
Saudi Arabia isn’t the one one. After India’s August 2019 transfer to revoke article 370, Pakistan referred to as Arab states to increase their voices. However, its Gulf companions together with Saudi Arabia failed to put a entrance in opposition to India. Riyadh even instructed India that it understands “India’s approach and actions in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Amid the strategic readjustment within the Middle East, political analysts say that relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is certain to get bumpy as it seems that the previous will proceed to transfer closer to New Delhi. Islamabad, alternatively, could have to retain its partnerships with a number of nations within the Middle East and return to Saudi Arabia’s sphere.
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