This is not the way to run democracy
The government needs to explain how Pakistan became a member of a military alliance without the approval of Parliament. The 34-state Islamic military alliance with a joint operation centre based in Riyadh ‘to coordinate and support military operations’, raises a number of serious questions. That the alliance is led by Saudi Arabia and it leaves out some of the important Muslim countries including Iran, Iraq and Syria indicates that those countries with Shia populations have been consciously excluded. This amounts to polarising rather than uniting the Muslim community and its states. Keeping in view the sectarian prejudices that dictate the likes and dislikes of the Saudi Kingdom, the message the alliance is bound to send is disturbing. Pakistan, with its fairly large Shia population duly represented in all state institutions, can hardly afford to join an alliance which can divide its people.
Pakistan Army is already fully engrossed in extirpating terrorism from its soil. Under the circumstances, it can neither afford to squander its manpower and resources fighting wars in other countries nor can the country cope with the fallout from these conflicts. The short-sighted policy of some of the Arab states helped ignite the civil war in Syria which has led to mass exodus of the population. It is ironical that none among these countries is willing to accept the refugees or fully commit its military resources to fight the Daesh.
The government needs to be reminded of the dangers of personalised relations with the rulers of other countries. Further, it is not the 1950s when a Foreign Minister could bind Pakistan to SEATO without consulting the country’s legislative body. Hopefully the issue will be raised at the earliest in both the National Assembly and Senate. Pakistan has to stay away from military pacts which have the potential of putting brotherly countries against one another. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are Pakistan’s friends. Instead of becoming a party to regional disputes, Islamabad needs to use its clout to help resolve these through mediation.