- Pakistan’s relations with Gulf
Pakistan has a history of decades of warm relations with the Gulf countries which has benefitted both sides. The agreement about the return of Gwadar to Pakistan from Oman was a landmark event under Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon. Pakistan provided manpower that played a significant role in the massive development of the Gulf region’s infrastructure, trained its military personnel and helped set up airlines in the Gulf. The Gulf provided jobs to tens of thousands of Pakistanis whose remittances became an important source of the much needed foreign exchange to Pakistan. Despite occasional problems, the relations never lost their warmth.
Relations with Saudi Arabia suffered a strain earlier this year when FM Qureshi, in an unusually sharp warning, asked Saudi Arabia-led OIC to stop dilly-dallying on the convening of a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on Kashmir. Pakistan was subsequently required to pay back $1 billion out of a $3 billion Saudi loan after the kingdom reportedly decided to reduce its financial support. Meanwhile, the UAE suspended issuance of work or employment visas to Pakistan. Had the ban been related to Covid-19, India and not Pakistan would have faced the restriction. There must have been some other reason that the government is reluctant to reveal.
Initially the PTI government flatly denied the suspension of visas with SAPM Zulfikar Bukhari asserting that the UAE authorities had maintained there was no ban on the export of Pakistani workforce. This was a patent untruth. Despite staying in Dubai for two days, FM Qureshi failed in his mission to persuade Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE, to lift the ban.
Since the ban that came into effect on Nov 18, one recruitment agency in Rawalpindi alone is reported to have lost 3,000 jobs that have now been avowedly diverted to India. That a country which is home to 1.2m Pakistanis is arbitrarily taking such a harsh position on the entry of Pakistani citizens is deeply troubling and can have serious implications for long-term ties.
The government should come upfront about the reasons behind the UAE’s decision instead of remaining in a state of denial over an issue that can have serious consequences for tens of thousands of Pakistanis. It would hurt Pakistan a lot if the ban was to continue.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/21/a-colossal-foreign-policy-failure/
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