- Pakistan has to maintain neutrality in the Gulf
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have cordial relations spread over decades. Pakistani labour and professionals have made major contribution to the development and progress of the kingdom. Saudi military officers have received training in Pakistan. Even now the country is training some 10,000 Saudi soldiers. Pakistan already has around 1,180 troops in Saudi Arabia under a 1982 bilateral agreement while months back another contingent was dispatched to the kingdom at the request of the Saudi government. Riyadh too has assisted Pakistan whenever there was a need for it. When Pakistan was subjected to US sanctions after the 1998 nuclear tests, Saudi Arabia agreed to supply oil to the country that was facing financial crunch on deferred payment. Again in 2013 Saudi Arabia loaned Pakistan $1.5b to shore up its economy. Pakistan therefore needs to maintain warm relations with its ally.
Pakistan has however consistently remained neutral in the Gulf rivalries. It declined the request to send army during the Saudi invasion of Yemen while maintaining friendly relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. There is a need on the part of the PTI government to ensure the continuity of the traditional policy that suits the country’s interests. Questions were raised in the Senate on Monday on the sudden inclusion of Saudi Arabia into CPEC by Pakistan and the issues discussed in the ongoing meeting between the Saudi delegation and government officials in Islamabad.
Among the questions being asked is whether the government held prior consultations with the Chinese about Riyadh’s inclusion in CPEC. There are important matters related to the project and there are apprehensions of their being leaked out. Balochistan is highly sensitive about its natural resources. How can the federal government decide to hand over the Reco Diq excavation to a foreign country without prior permission of the Balochistan government and a final decision by the CCI? Has the PTI government ensured that deferred oil payment does not have a political quid pro quo? Has anyone worked out the regional implications of the Saudi plans for Gwadar? There is a need on the part of Finance Minister Asad Umar to take the Parliament into confidence over the issues being raised.