Hira Irfan
The Muslim World faces grave dangers in the situation that has risen in wake of the Saudi-Iran conflict. Pakistan is concerned over recent tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that spiraled after the execution of Shia scholar Sheikh Nimr al Nimr. Saudi Arabia executed Nimr and three other Shias on terrorism charges, alongside dozens of Sunni militants. Shia Iran hailed Nimr as a “martyr” and warned Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al Saud family of “divine revenge”.
The escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shia cleric has intensified sectarian polarisation in the Middle East. This has far-reaching implications for the region and beyond. It is yet another provocative action by the new Saudi rulers which has further inflamed the strategic rivalry between the two countries that underpins the current turmoil in the region. In a statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence and wants a solution to the current crisis since “terrorists benefit from differences between the Muslim Ummah.”Pakistan also condemned the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and termed the incident ‘unfortunate’.
Moreover, Shia groups united in condemnation of Saudi Arabia while Sunni powers rallied behind the kingdom, hardening a sectarian split that has torn apart communities across the Middle East and nourished the jihadist ideology of Islamic State. Despite efforts to remain diplomatically neutral in the Saudi – Iran rift that has gripped the entire of Middle East, Pakistan succumbed to the interests of its long-standing ally and declared its stance in the conflict. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried to be subtle during the talks with the Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, calling for resolving its crisis with Iran through diplomacy and offering Pakistan’s good offices to ‘brotherly’ Muslim countries for resolution of their differences. Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif reiterated that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity would evoke a ‘strong response’ from Islamabad, leaving no room for confusion in the nature of the commitment offered. The stand is untestable and pragmatic, given our history, dependency on Arab oil and the fact that in contrast Iran doesn’t really enjoy good diplomatic relations with any country. We would like to see Iran prosper as a neighbor, and have good relations, but not at the cost of alienating the Kingdom.
Indeed, Pakistan has so far muddled through different crises over the last four decades. A long-term perspective has been missing, mainly due to the paucity of a deep thought process for shaping diplomacy. Ideally, the country should adopt a coherent approach towards the issues and problems in the region, with an eye on the future. This calls for a unity of mind and a strong understanding of the dynamics of regional and global politics as well as a realistic assessment of Pakistan’s strengths and weaknesses. A prudent foreign policy cannot be based on a wish list. It must be based on a realistic assessment of possibilities. The objective should be to either maximise one’s gains or to engage in damage control and at the same time, be able to wriggle out of difficult situations through astute diplomacy.
Furthermore, Pakistan`s sectarian violence has roots in this divide. It is to emphasise again that neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran is helping the cause of self-determination. Both want the monopoly of their brand of religion in the entire Islamic world. Pakistan should try to mediate between them and ask them to stay away from sectarianism in Pakistan and elsewhere. Pakistan cannot let sectarianism influence, let alone dictate, its foreign policy. Although the blunder of our 1980s policy ranging from co-authoring, and jointly executing the international Afghan jihad, allowing Pakistan to be used as a battleground for Saudi-Iranian proxy battles and promoting our security objectives through proxies dragged Pakistan into the hell-fires of sectarian battles, Pakistan has not adopted a sectarian identity as a State. Pakistan has remained, despite the 1980s blunders, a Muslim state. Pakistan’s three and a half decade old lessons of the headlong plunge into the international Afghan jihad, clearly dictate that we stay away from becoming partisan in geo-strategic battles of sectarian shades.
Against this backdrop, Iran is an important neighbor with whom we historically share cultural ties and continue to have important diplomatic and security ties. With hope of the revival of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, Iran can also become our major energy partner. Although, be mindful of the fact that our enemies want to divide us on the basis of Shia and Sunni and this is the conspiracy of our enemy from day one. The Saudi leadership is applying strong diplomatic pressure on Pakistan for seeking its full support but Pakistan must end its ambiguous stance and take a firm stand on not being a part of any alliance having sectarian inclinations. The religious parties must for once and all decide where their loyalties lie because clearly, the myth of Ummah has long been busted. No country would care what a bunch of delusional mullahs think or aspire when it comes to their national interests.