Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in the recent past has been confusing, for lack of a better word.
Pakistan alluded to part ways with the Saudi Arabia-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) if it failed to convene a foreign ministers meeting on Kashmir.
Since independence of Pakistan, all the regimes in Pakistan either political or military maintained the highest level of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
However the year 2020 witnessed a rift between Pakistan and Saudi Kingdom, when the Saudi government refused to call the foreign ministerial conference of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and started using delaying tactics over the issue of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) despite the reminders sent by Pakistan’s foreign office repeatedly to OIC secretary general office in Riyadh through diplomatic channel.
On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status, or limited autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region illegally occupied by India, which has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.
Among the Indian government actions accompanying the revocation was the cutting off of communication lines in the Kashmir Valley, hold curfew for indefinite period, deployment of more military brigades with lethal weaponry including pallet guns and small military artillery to snub the voice of Kashmiri people fighting for their right of self-determination for last 73 years.
The last speech of prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan in United Nations General Assembly’s 74th session held in September 2019 was indeed a clear message to entire world that the Kashmir issue is now the matter of ‘Do or Die’ for Pakistan and at the same time in UNGA 74th session, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Malaysian premier Mahateer Muhammad categorically endorsed the principled point of view of Pakistan to give the right of self-determination to Kashmiri people who have been struggling for their independence for the last 73 years.
A young and liberal crown prince of Saudia, Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) visited Pakistan on 17 February 2019. He was warmly welcomed on red carpet by prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Saudi crown prince during his visit assured to the Pakistani authorities that he would play a role in the world community as ambassador of Pakistan at every forum and pledged the Saudi investment of US$ 20 billion including cash soft loan, oil supply on deferred payments, release of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia, setup of oil refinery in Gwadar and protect the rights of Pakistani workforce serving there to build modern and high-tech Saudi Kingdom.
On February 19, 2020, just after completing the visit of Pakistan, Saudi crown prince MBS landed in India and offered Indian premier Narendra Modi huge investment in infrastructure and energy sector. This MBS visits to South Asian atomic powers was seen as an image building by MBS.
Soon after the Saudi prince visit to New Delhi, in February 2019 Indian Air Force (IAF) violated the airspace of Pakistan and dropped the payload at a village of Balakot district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, however no loss of life and major damage was reported. In response to Indian adventure, Pakistan shot down two fighter jets of Indian Air Force (IAF) which entered the Pakistani air space for the second time after Balakot incident.
The Hindu nationalist-led government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5th August 2019 revoked Article 370 of India’s constitution, which confers special rights to permanent residents of Indian Occupied Kashmir. The day after the Indian move, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi immediately called joint session of parliament to discuss the future course of action in the wake of India’s decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status under Article 370.
On 17 September 2019, while addressing the UN general assembly’s 74th session, prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan conveyed the message to entire world that there will be no compromise over the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people and Pakistan will go beyond the limits over the said issue.
Turkey and Malaysia endorsed the Pakistan’s point of view on Kashmir, however Saudi Arabia once again was found nowhere on this particular strategic issue. However, later on Saudia showed commitment to call OIC meeting over Kashmir issue but it was hit by the delaying tactics.
In last week of December 2019, Kuala Lumpur Summit was called to accentuate the rich Muslim countries to invest in poor Muslim nations to establish a stronger alliance, while working together to upgrade the capacity of Muslims. It was the alliance of five countries including Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Malaysia and Qatar; however Pakistan refused to attend the summit at the eleventh hour after concerns of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Saudi Arabia feared that her strategic rivals were going to establish a parallel Muslim platform of OIC to undermine its supremacy, however Malaysian president Dr. Mahateer Mohammad in his opening remarks of KL summit 2019 said that the conference was not aimed at replacing other Muslim platforms such the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), neither intending to create different categories or classes of Muslim nations nor to undermine others.
Prime Minister, Imran Khan later on met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of a global conference in Geneva and took him into confidence over his decision to not attend the Malaysia summit. He also telephoned his Malaysian counterpart Dr. Mahathir Mohammad and expressed his regrets at not being able to attend the summit.
A senior journalist Faisal Raza Khan who covers defense and foreign affairs believes that despite some achievements, Pakistan’s foreign policy is in doldrums since long and now it’s the time to get it on right track.
According to him, at foreign policy front, state and its interests must be upheld, adding that “Government has to look into, what is best for the country, it’s not the question, what other states think, and it’s imperative what is vital for us to take along. If some states are putting hurdles in achieving Pakistan’s interests, it is here, where diplomacy works.
“Let Pakistan’s foreign policy to decide how to move forward and the state institutions must back them,” Khan maintained. He further said that brotherhood, friendship or animosity matters for the time being, but not for long run. It state’s interests should be priority.
A senior official of Pakistan’s foreign office on condition of anonymity informed The News Today (TNT) that Pakistan sent at least three official communiqué to secretary general of OIC based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but OIC has not honoured Pakistani request.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi criticized the group’s silence about issues, including Palestine, Kashmir and the Babri mosque.
Saeed Minhas, a senior journalist believes Pakistan’s foreign policy has always remained slave to big and mighty therefore policy makers need to think strategically how to secure their interests and secure the country without taking the country to a closed end.
“We all know that OIC and Saudis and Emiratis have never stood with us on Kashmir. Instead they have gone all the way to garland Modi. With a very unperdictive Crown Prince of Saudis, Imran Khan should consult with his masters to think that instead of playing on both sides of the wicket, Pakistan should rethink Turkish and Mohatir Mohammad option” he said.
NAM was created when everyone else was joining USSR or USA after Second World War.
“Our policy makers should think beyond their noses, just for a change with the golden principle that there are no permanent friends or foes in the foreign policy-only national interest matters” Minhas remarked.
