Pakistan - Major embarrassment for Nawaz - What (IRAN-SAUDI) Mediation?

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir has denied outright that Pakistan mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran amid recent tensions, causing our top leadership much embarrassment. They had better explain their recent rendezvous with the Saudis and what that whole drama was about going to the Kingdom to smooth things out. The move was lauded in the media, and for a minute everyone thought that we were an actual player in the conflict and not a pawn.

The Al-Saud government does not welcome any input unless it is exactly what it wishes to hear and what Pakistan had to say was not on cue.

Perhaps Mr Adel al Jubeir has done Pakistan a favour by pointing out how futile its efforts are to ‘mediate’ in an issue it has no right to be concerned with in the first place. It is easier to maintain neutrality in the issue now instead of hiding behind the pretext of Muslim brotherhood and friendship. Its all realpolitik now, and the ruling party treating it as anything else will just cause further embarrassment. How much support can Riyadh expect in its conflict with Tehran from Pakistan? Does it expect Pakistan to give up its chance at boosting its economy through trade with its neighbour and be encircled by a Russia-Iran entente?

Pakistan was not the only one to try to pacify the aggravated Kingdom. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Gulf Arab officials on Saturday at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to ease their concerns about warming US-Iranian ties and seek consensus on which Syrian opposition groups should be represented at upcoming peace talks. Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir presented a united front, for now.

Bahrain has broken off diplomatic relations and broken air links with Iran, UAE has downgraded relations, and Kuwait has merely recalled its ambassador. Qatar and Oman have not followed the Saudi lead and are unlikely to do so going by their past behaviour. There’s not that great an interest amongst the GCC counties to fight it out with Iran. Iran doesn’t care. It survived in total economic and political isolation, is the only real challenge to ISIS in the region and it can now trade to its heart’s content. It will be the Kingdom doing the adjusting, and the US is pressuring it to do so. Pakistan must not pick a side, but must also not put itself in a place where anyone can diplomatically humiliate it.