Saudi Arabia wooed Pakistanis through its clergy

By S.C.KOHLI

Pakistan's refusal to join Saudi Arabia led forces of some Gulf and Muslim friendly countries in their air strikes on Iran supported Yemeni Shia rebels since March 23, 2015 was not received well by the Saudi monarchy and some Gulf countries, particularly UAE. Although Pakistan reiterated its commitment to safeguard territorial integrity, Kingdom's monarchy did not expect cold shouldered response from Pakistan and successfully used its clergy of highest order to garner much needed moral support of Pakistanis and their radical Sunni political parties, rather than depending on Nawaz Sharif government.

Pakistan perceived Saudi Arabia's call to send its naval ships, aircraft and army to the Kingdom to fight against Yemini rebels as an attempt to make it as a party in further dividing of Muslim world on sectarian basis. In addition, volatile situation in Baluchistan bordering Iran, Pakistani forces' ongoing joint military offensive terrorist organisations in around Waziristan Agency since June 2014 under operation 'Zarb-e-Azb, bordering Afghanistan: and further alienation of Pakistan's over 20 per cent Pakistani Shia's over Saudi air strikes against Yemini Shias were major factors, which prevented Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to accept Saudi's appeal out rightly. Since Pakistan has strong religious bonds as well as durable economic and military relations with Saudi Arabia, Nawaz Sharif in a master stroke put the onus on country's Parliament to decide on Saudi's appeal for military assistance. As expected, Pakistani Parliament debated the issue in a three day joint session and rejected (April 10, 2015) Saudi call to join forces against Yemen. However, Pakistani Parliament reiterated Nawaz Sharif's commitment to protect Kingdom's territorial integrity.

Pakistan's blatant refusal to Saudi Arabia's call disappointed the Kingdom's brand-new monarchy, its coterie and Gulf States. UAE was, however, more vocal in criticizing Pakistan over its refusal to accept Saudi call. UAE's Minister of State, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargesh univocally labeled (Dubai, April 11, 2015) Pakistani Parliament's resolution on Saudi call as 'vague, contradictory, dangerous and unexpected'.

Dr. Gargesh also threatened that Pakistan will have to pay for its ambiguous stand on Yemen and deplored it for siding with Iran on the issue and giving importance to Turkey rather than giving a positive call to Saudi appeal in the time of 'real crisis'.

Saudi Arabia, sensing the diplomatic gravity of threat to Pakistan by UAE, washed its hands from the threatening call of UAE and did not endorse it. At the same time, Saudi Arabia realised that Pakistan Parliament's decision not to endorse Saudi call for military help could also be taken as a decision of Pakistani people also, which may erode Pakistanis' loyal sentiments towards the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, therefore, in a diplomatic coup, decided to counter Nawaaz Sharif's move in his own country through a religious mode by arousing Pakistani radicals' religious sentiments in favor of Saudi Arabia and turning Pakistanis' support in its favor.

Within two days of Pakistani Parliament's denial to Saudi Arabia appeal for military assistance, Kingdom sent its top two religious leaders then followed by another one to Pakistan in a short span of less than fortnight, with the sole aim of ensuring Pakistani Sunni dominated radical clergy's support to the Kingdom on Yemeni issue. Three Saudi religious top notches who visited Pakistan on their aforesaid mission, included Saudi Minister for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Saleh bin Abdul Aziz, along with Saudi Chief Advisor for Religious Affairs Dr. Abul Aziz, (April12 to April 17, 2015) and shortly after them Imam-e-Kaaba, Dr. Khalid Al Ghamidi arrived in Lahore (April 24, 2015) on a week long visit.

Saudi religious leadership during its visit to Pakistan primarily hobnobbed with Pakistani Sunni radicals, also held conferences and rallies on the issue of protection of Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina allegedly from Iran, convincingly attempted to garner support through Pakistani electronic media, addressed religious congregations in various places in Pakistan and succeeded in gathering Pakistanis support through Pakistani Sunni radical parties' leadership like Hafeez Saeed of Jamaat-ul-Dawa, Prof Sajid Mir of Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Siraj ul-Haq Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami, and Maulana Fazal-ur-Haq Rehman of Jamiat-ulema-e-Islam.

During their visit to Pakistan, Saudi Minister for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Saleh bin Abdul Aziz, and Saudi Chief Advisor for Religious Affairs Dr. Abul Aziz, in league with grand master of terrorism and Chief of Jamaat-ul-Dawa (JuD), Hafeez Saeed held well attended meetings in Islamabad naming it 'conference for the protection of Two Holy Mosques', and Hafeez Saeed too obliged the visiting religious Saudi dignitaries by holding big rallies in their support at several places in Pakistan including in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore. Sheikh Saleh also met Nawaz Sharif and handed him over Saudi King's letter apparently clarifying Saudi position on crisis in Yemen and seeking support from Pakistan. While in Pakistan, Sheikh Saleh claimed that Saudi Arabia had support of Pakistani people on Yemeni issue, Dr. Abdul Aziz described the Pakistani offer to mediate in Yemini crisis at a 'joke'.

Unlike his counterparts, the Imam-e-Kaaba Dr. Khalid Al Ghamidi commenced his weeklong visit to Pakistan from Lahore and addressed well attended religious and Friday congregations in some prominent mosques of Lahore, in league with leaders of Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Jamaat-e-Islami and called for unity amongst Muslims to protect the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia.

After staying in Lahore for three days, Imam also visited Islamabad and called on President of Pakistan and Speaker of the National Assembly and Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs, who reiterated Pakistan standing support to Saudi Arabia for safeguarding its territorial integrity. Saudi Arabia, while realizing that it had unexpectedly failed to elicit any military support from Nawaz Sharif government on Yemeni issue, it linked the sensitive issue of protecting Two Holy Mosques with Yemini crises and could successfully turned Pakistani peoples' support and sentiments in favor of the Kingdom, through its is top religious leadership's visits to Pakistan and buttress of Sunni radical pro-Saudi Pakistani political parties.

Since Pakistan is a major Sunni dominated Muslim country, having considerable military strength and equipped with nuclear arsenal, Saudi Arabia through its religious overtures always placed its high stakes in Pakistan. It may be construction of South Asia's and Pakistan's largest mosque,viz; The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad in 1986: establishing of Pakistan largest International Islamic University at Islamabad; scholarships to thousands of Pakistani Islamic students to study in Saudi Arabia; Kingdom's solid support to Gen. Zia in initiating and then implementing Islamisation in Pakistan in 80s and above all Saudi Arabia's uninterrupted financial support to thousands of radical Madrassas in Pakistan are some of glaring examples of Saudi Arabia's indisputable religious support to Pakistan, which Saudi Arabia successfully could recoup in its favor during ongoing Yemeni crisis by winning support of people of Pakistan, contrary to Pakistan government's unfavorable stance on the issue.

Saudi Arabia's master stroke of exploiting religious sentiments of Pakistan and its radicals in her favor on Yemeni issue and scoring victory over Pakistan government on a bilateral concern must have taught Nawaz Sharif a colossal lesson to deal with new brand monarchy of Saudi Arabia cautiously in future as no Pakistani government can afford to overlook religious sentiment between the two countries.

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