brotherly nations into jeopardy. Due to the immature handling of the matter, a pure diplomatic matter has turned into a ‘political gimmick’,” the former minister added.
Durrani argued that in diplomacy, countries around the globe take decisions based on their specific interests. “If the US government publicly announces to attack any country hostile against the Israel, why Pakistan is shying away from extending its support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added.
He said it is also surprising that neither the prime minister nor the Foreign Office intervened to control the damage. “The misrepresentation of facts by the government resulted in a total confusion while the parliamentarians as well as the media were also misled over the issue,” he added.
He said the government must take into account that it was a blunder at a critical juncture when the region was facing major challenges. “Whenever Pakistan seeks assistance from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom came to its rescue. Whether it were earthquake or floods, or it was UN sanctions after 1998 nuclear tests or the time when Pakistan needed free of cost oil, the Kingdom was there. Moreover, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also gave $150 billion unconditionally to help the PML-N government repay its loans,” he added.
Durrani was of the opinion that when it came to funding the nuclear arsenal, the Kingdom also came to rescue Pakistan’s strategic programme. He said that the government should have taken into account the national interest rather than holding joint session to talk out the matter. “If we seek nuclear reactors from China who provides it to us despite international sanctions, it reflects the depth of relations between the two friendly neighbours. So is the case when Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sought Pakistan’s assistance when it faced threats to its territorial integrity,” he added.
The former minister said the political leadership failed to take into consideration the fact that the Arab region was being pushed into a civil war and this chaos may eat away all the Muslim states who are desperately seeking Pakistan’s assistance. “The Kingdom’s request reflected the unflinching trust in Pakistan by Riyadh in its difficult time and Pakistan should have also responded positively as friends do in such critical situations,” he said.
Brushing away the notion that the assistance to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may fan sectarian tensions in Pakistan or the region, Durrani said that strengthening the Saudi government in no way meant to destabilise Iran or any other states of the region.
He said some western forces were conspiring to fuel rebellion and discontent in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as Iraq, Libya and Syria have already been destabilised. “Now after destabilising Yemen, who could guarantee this destabilisation would not enter the Kingdom. The Arab League has already expressed its concerns. There are rebels taking arms in Yemen who may attack the holy places for Muslims anytime if not stopped in advance. No sect allows any attack against the holy land of Makkah or Madinah,” he added.
He said that over two million Pakistanis were employed in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and were sending billions of rupees every year to Pakistan. “Keeping in view this very issue, peace and stability in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be a priority for Pakistan.
Why such a situation is being allowed in Gulf which may even jeopardise the performance of holy rituals for Muslims of the entire world including Hajj and Umrah,” he opined.