Pakistan undecided but welcomes Saudi military alliance

ISLAMABAD: After being caught on the backfoot on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia announced the name of Pakistan as part of its military coalition to fight the Daesh and al-Qaeda, a day later the Foreign Office tried to make amends by stating that though it welcomed the 34-nation alliance it had not yet decidedhow it would participate in different activities of this newly-formed military alliance.

Once again before awaiting Pakistan’s formal response, Pakistan’s flag was displayed while the Saudi royalty was making the announcement of the military alliance. Earlier also, Pakistan’s flag continued to be displayed during the Saudi-led Yemen invasion despite the fact that Pakistan had excused itself from the military alliance.

Pakistan added that it had close, cordial, and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and “both the countries condemn terrorism and cooperate in efforts to eliminate this menace.”

India, meanwhile, showed greater clarity when it said it was committed to fight against the Islamic State terror group under the flag of the United Nations if such a resolution was adopted by the world body. “We have made it clear if there is a UN resolution and if there is the UN flag and a UN mission, as per India’s policy to operate under the UN flag, we will participate,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commented.

Some 20 Indians are estimated to be fighting along with the ISIS in Syria, several others influenced by the IS ideology through the social media and attempted to reach Syria have been deported by various nations.

Pakistan, meanwhile, recalled that the Forty-Second Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Kuwait this year had reiterated its commitment to relevant UN and OIC resolutions on combating terrorism and extremism and called for joining regional and international efforts to fight terrorism and extremist thought.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia announced that it had forged a Sunni-based coalition for coordinating and supporting military operations against terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. The headquarters of the new Saudi-led coalition would be based in Riyadh.

Taking Pakistan for granted like in the past, Saudi Arabia announced this Saudi-led Muslim alliance, which includes Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia and several African nations.

The Saudi announcement comes at a time when it announces a ceasefire inside Yemen.That this military alliance will be divided on sectarian lines even as it hopes to fight terrorism, Saudi Arabia did not include Shia Muslim Iran, the arch-rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia. Also absent from the Saudi announcement are Oman, Iraq and Syria.

Pakistan has done well to react diplomatically so as not to embarrass one of its staunchest Muslim allies by not committing immediately but keeping its options open for a future alliance.

The United States is openly supporting and pushing this Saudi-led alliance even as it had invited Pakistan to join its own US military coalition to fight the Daesh. The alliance is called “Sahel to South Asia”.

Notably, the Nawaz Sharif government will have to revert to parliament as it did earlier when it refused to put boots on the ground inside Yemen. Even though Saudi Arabia and UAE had been greatly upset by Pakistan’s refusal, it was the first time that the people of Pakistan had spoken with one voice and also when the army and political government were on one page.

Spokesman at the Foreign Office said that Pakistan had consistently supported all regional and international efforts to combat militancy, extremism and terrorism and, to this end, had extended its full support and cooperation to international community.

“It is in this context that Pakistan welcomes the formation of the 34-nation alliance to counter terrorism and is awaiting further details to decide the extent of its participation in different activities of the alliance,” he said in a statement.

It is yet to be seen whether the Nawaz Sharif government will bring this proposal from Saudi Arabia to parliament but it would be prudent to recall the remarks of Defence Minister Khwaja Asif who had stated earlier when Pakistan was asked to join the Saudi-led military alliance against Yemen. “We will not take part in any conflict that could result in differences in the Muslim world, causing faultlines present in Pakistan to be disturbed, the aggravation of which will have to be borne by Pakistan,” he had asserted.