Shahzad Masood Roomi
Since last two days, Pakistan has been engulfed in a hotted debate on weather it should accept the Saudi Arabian request of sending its troops to protect the Kingdom. So far, Pakistani government hasn't replied to this request and the matter is being examined as per foreign office spokesperson's remarks.
Pakistan must take a clear stance and adopt a out of box strategy in Yemen crisis. So far, the government is sending only ambiguous messages. The large part of media is reporting that the decision of sending troops to Saudi Arabia has been made already but the Defense Minister is negating these reports by issuing statement which are being perceived very differently in media circles.
“Pakistan will stand by Saudi Arabia by all means if the kingdom’s territorial sovereignty is in danger.”, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said.
Pakistan simply cannot afford to become a party in this conflict as Pakistan has close ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia and any strategic miscalculation in this conflict can open a Pandora's Box with long term security implications for Pakistan especially on internal front.
But question is, can Pakistan remain isolated in this scenario and play neutral? Unfortunately, the answer is No because Pakistan is already part of this conflict on internal and media front. So Pakistan will have to play a role. Now question is; How?
The best course Pakistan can take is to engage Riyadh and Tehran aggressively to pacify the underlying larger historic conflict between the two. Yemen is just another manifestation of this old duel between Shia Iran and Salafi Saudi Arabia. Though there are other political and social factors are also involved but at its core this is emergence of hibernating sidewinder of sectarianism which is poisoning Muslim societies all over the world. The rise of Iraq's Sunni insurgency which was hijacked by Khawarij were also an outcome of this sectarian war.
Muslims all over the world are very emotional about the security of sacred places in Makkah and Madina. Pakistani nation is no exception in this regard. But the policies of Riyadh, just like Tehran, has compounded the situation in Middle East to such an extent that Muslims all over the world are being affected.
Pakistan's best policy option is to deploy its diplomatic prowess in this conflict including media and military diplomacy with only point agenda to make it clear that who is actually benefiting from this war and whose interests are being served. The real beneficiaries of this war are the Zionist forces of Israel who are looking to expand their political influence in the region.
Since last two days, Pakistan has been engulfed in a hotted debate on weather it should accept the Saudi Arabian request of sending its troops to protect the Kingdom. So far, Pakistani government hasn't replied to this request and the matter is being examined as per foreign office spokesperson's remarks.
Pakistan must take a clear stance and adopt a out of box strategy in Yemen crisis. So far, the government is sending only ambiguous messages. The large part of media is reporting that the decision of sending troops to Saudi Arabia has been made already but the Defense Minister is negating these reports by issuing statement which are being perceived very differently in media circles.
“Pakistan will stand by Saudi Arabia by all means if the kingdom’s territorial sovereignty is in danger.”, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said.
Pakistan simply cannot afford to become a party in this conflict as Pakistan has close ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia and any strategic miscalculation in this conflict can open a Pandora's Box with long term security implications for Pakistan especially on internal front.
But question is, can Pakistan remain isolated in this scenario and play neutral? Unfortunately, the answer is No because Pakistan is already part of this conflict on internal and media front. So Pakistan will have to play a role. Now question is; How?
The best course Pakistan can take is to engage Riyadh and Tehran aggressively to pacify the underlying larger historic conflict between the two. Yemen is just another manifestation of this old duel between Shia Iran and Salafi Saudi Arabia. Though there are other political and social factors are also involved but at its core this is emergence of hibernating sidewinder of sectarianism which is poisoning Muslim societies all over the world. The rise of Iraq's Sunni insurgency which was hijacked by Khawarij were also an outcome of this sectarian war.
Muslims all over the world are very emotional about the security of sacred places in Makkah and Madina. Pakistani nation is no exception in this regard. But the policies of Riyadh, just like Tehran, has compounded the situation in Middle East to such an extent that Muslims all over the world are being affected.
Pakistan's best policy option is to deploy its diplomatic prowess in this conflict including media and military diplomacy with only point agenda to make it clear that who is actually benefiting from this war and whose interests are being served. The real beneficiaries of this war are the Zionist forces of Israel who are looking to expand their political influence in the region.
Pakistan is locked in a difficult triangle of complex relation with Iran and Saudi Arabia. Please read my analysis: https://passivevoices.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/pakistan-caught-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran/
ReplyDelete