Saudi-Iran standoff: Pakistan to sit on the fence for now

Pakistan condemns attack on Saudi mission; warns terrorists might benefit from differences between Muslim Ummah

Saudi Arabia says Iran must act ‘normal’ as allies scale back ties to Tehran; Sudan and Behrain cut diplomatic ties with Iran, UAE downgrades them

Pakistan on Monday expressed serious concern over the recent escalation of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the former’s execution of a Shia cleric on terror charges, as several 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 Daesh or the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In a statement, the Pakistani 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’.

While condemning the attack on Saudi embassy in Tehran, Pakistan said that it is the responsibility of the host country to provide full safety to all diplomatic missions and their personnel.

Terming the attack on Saudi mission ‘unfortunate and deeply regrettable’, the statement said that the extremist elements could take advantage of any disunity in the Muslim community.

The Foreign Office’s appeal for calm echoed in the National Assembly as well as Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal told lawmakers that Pakistan would play a positive role to end ongoing tension among the brotherly Islamic countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking on a point of order, Iqbal said that Pakistan was closely monitoring the situation and would soon give a policy statement in this regard. He said that there was already unrest in Syria and Iraq, and such a conflict should not have occurred between two Muslim countries.

Many of the government and opposition members also called for Pakistan to play its role in reducing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed said the Saudi-Iran tensions could have negative impacts in the region, particularly in Pakistan.

The government would issue a policy statement after analyzing the situation, he added.

Earlier, Leader of the House Syed Khursheed Shah and members of the National Assembly belonging to different political parties drew the attention of the House towards the ongoing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and asked the government to give policy statement and hold a discussion on the matter.

Khursheed Shah said that important changes could occur in the region due to the conflicts between Islamic countries. He asked the government to brief the House regarding its policy on the issue as the country had also become a part of Saudi Arabia-led 34-member alliance of Muslim countries to counter the militant group Daesh.

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that being an important country of the Muslim world, Pakistan could play a pivotal role to end the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan, he said, had brotherly relations with both countries and the government should adopt a policy on the matter after taking the Parliament into confidence.

Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement said that conflicts among Muslim countries were increasing day by day, which was a matter of grave concern. Pakistan should play its due role to end Saudi-Iran tensions, he said.

Pakistan as an apparent member of Saudi Arabia’s 34-nation coalition, and with strong economic ties to many of the Arab kingdoms supporting Saudi Arabia, but with also a sizeable Shia minority has been put in a tight spot of announcing support for either side and creating sectarian tensions that the country may have to live with for decades to come.

SAUDI EXECUTIONS:

The execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges on Saturday — the largest mass execution carried out by Saudi Arabia since 1980 — laid bare the sectarian divisions gripping the region.

Shia protesters took to the streets from Bahrain to Pakistan, while Arab allies of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia lined up behind the kingdom.

The execution prompted strong condemnation from Shia-majority Iran and Iraq.

Iran said in reaction to Nimr’s execution that “the Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution.”

A group of Iranians attacked the Saudi Embassy on Sunday with stones and petrol bombs.

On Monday, allies of Saudi Arabia followed the kingdom’s lead and began scaling back diplomatic ties to Iran.

Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy, which quashed mass protests by the Shia majority in 2011 with the help of Saudi and Emirati forces, enjoys particularly close relations with Saudi Arabia, and shares Riyadh’s view that Shia Iran is intent on destabilising the region through its various proxies.

Bahraini officials have accused Iran of training militants and attempting to smuggle arms into the country, which hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. In October, Bahrain ordered the acting Iranian charge d’affaires to leave within 72 hours and recalled its own ambassador after alleging Iran sponsored “subversion” and “terrorism” and funneled arms to militants.

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry announced an “immediate severing of ties” over the diplomatic mission attacks. The statement carried by its state-run news agency said it made the decision in “solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of Iranian schemes.”

Somalia also criticised the attack on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran as a “flagrant violation” of international law.

The UAE, an ally of Saudi Arabia that is also home to hundreds of thousands of Iranians, cut the number of Iranian diplomats allowed in the country, after summoning the ambassador to protest what it called Iran’s interference in Saudi Arabia.

The Yemeni government on Monday announced a curfew in the port city of Aden, a beach-head for Saudi and UAE forces waging war on the Shia Houthi group that controls much of the country. A ceasefire collapsed on Saturday.

Western powers, many of which supply billions of dollars worth of weaponry to Gulf Arab powers, tried to tamp down the tensions with Iran but also deplored the executions, as human rights groups strongly criticised Saudi Arabia’s judicial process and protesters gathered outside Saudi embassies.

Al-Azhar, the Cairo-based seat of Sunni Muslim learning, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Saudi Arabia, condemned the attacks on Riyadh’s missions and stressed Tehran’s obligation to respect the internal affairs of the kingdom.

IRAN MUST BEHAVE:

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia said on Monday that Iran must behave like “a normal country” instead of “a revolution” before ties between the two countries could be restored, amid tensions stemming from the Saudi execution of a prominent opposition Shia cleric.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters that it would cut off all air traffic between the two countries and prevent its citizens from traveling to Iran or having commercial ties with the Islamic Republic.

He added that Iranian pilgrims would still be welcome to visit the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Earlier on Sunday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif by phone and urged Tehran to “defuse the tensions and protect the Saudi diplomats,” according to a statement.

The disruption in relations may have implications for peace efforts in Syria. US Secretary of State John Kerry and others spent significant time trying to bring the countries to the negotiating table and they both sat together at talks aimed at ending the civil war.