Pakistan is trying to seek a balance between Saudi Arabia and Iran as senior Saudi officials paid recent visits to the country for support.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign and defense ministers paid successive visits to Pakistan on January 7 and 10 respecitively. One of their important aims was to strengthen the two countries’ cooperation in the field of military security, especially on the issue of an Islamic anti-terrorism coalition. During the meeting, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his support for the coalition.
Analysts believe Sharif’s statement will help stablize the Saudi-led coalition and is a role model for other countries in it. However, the coalition was considered with the possibility of isolating Iran in the military security field. Iran has been an important partner of Pakistan for a long time in the military and energy sectors. Sharif also stressed that Pakistan will not participate in any military operations against any country.
Analysts say it is not clear whether Pakistan can cooperate with Saudi Arabia on key issues of the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition.
“Only against non-state actors, not against any state. So in these areas Pakistan has offered its support, which clearly indicates that Pakistan is trying to avoid becoming a functional part of any military campaign in the Middle East,” said Mohammad Aamir Rana, director of Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies.
Sharif criticized the attack on the Saudi embassy by Iranian protesters during his meetings with the Saudi officials, stressing that Pakistan is opposed to any behavior threatening territorial integrity and state sovereignty. The Pakistani government addressed its hope that Saudi Arabia and Iran will remain calm to avoid any escalation of tensions and solve their differences in a peaceful way. It also said that the strained relations between the two countries did no good to unify the Muslim world and terrorists may take this opportunity to develop their power.
Analysts have pointed out that it is wise for the Pakistani government to seek a balance in relations during this time based on their own interests.
“Both are very important and dear states to Pakistan. One is neighbor, the other is the closest ally. But foreign policy should be based on national interests, not some parochial sectarian interests, or ethnic interests or religious interests,” said Tahir Malik, a professor in the international relations department at the National University of Modern Languages.
As a Muslim power with a population of nearly 200 million, Pakistan has great influence in the Muslim world. Compared with counties like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan has a more moderate and neutral position in its relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pakistan may use that advantage to take an active role in solving the tensions between the two countries.
“One thing which Pakistan can do is first to form an alliance of the Muslim countries, those who are seeking neutral positions in this conflict like Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, and even we can include Bangladesh in this alliance. And they come to request both countries for a peaceful resolution of this confrontation,” said Rana. (CCTV/Reuters)