Pakistan’s Upper House last week made up its mind about what lies behind the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) and asked the government to recall its commander-in-chief, former Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif, in response to burgeoning anti-Iranian sentiment.
“The king of Saudi Arabia has said the alliance is against Iran,” Senate Chairperson Raza Rabbani said in the chamber on Thursday. “Has the government disowned Raheel Sharif?.” Rabbani demanded that the Terms of Reference (TORs) of the military alliance be presented before the Senate for scrutiny.
Earlier, Senator Farhatullah Babar, of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said it was becoming “apparent” that the alliance had combative designs against Iran and asked the government to recall the retired general.
The Senate also called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, to brief members on the issue of reports quoting Saudi authorities as saying the alliance would take action against rebel groups posing a threat to any of its member countries.
Moved by public opinion and media reports on the IMA’s shifting emphasis, the house asked that the government come clean on its direction. It said the message emanating from the Arab-US Summit held on May 21 in Saudi Arabia was loud and clear: attended by over 50 Muslim nations, that session turned to be heavy on the Iran-bashing, with US President Donald Trump the basher-in-chief.
Senator Aziz made efforts to allay members’ apprehensions – but in the process created more confusion. He assured the house that “it was wrong to say that the coalition was against Iran” but in the same breadth admitted, “It is unfortunate that Syria, Yemen, and Iran are divided along sectarian lines and the Riyadh summit may have deepened those divides.”
“It’s an unnatural alliance that has nothing in common insofar as coalition partners are concerned as every country which is named a partner has its own perception and specification of terrorism”
In the aftermath of Riyadh, the general perception in Pakistan about the IMA has changed. General Sharif has lost much of the popular support he once enjoyed while leading Operation Zarb-e-Azab, a military-led war against terror in Pakistan. He now commands a military alliance that does not have definite objectives and lacks unanimity and direction concerning the “targets” it is supposed to take on.
“It’s an unnatural alliance that has nothing in common insofar as coalition partners are concerned as every country which is named a partner has its own perception and specification of terrorism,” Professor Hamdani, an expert on international relations, told Asia Times on Sunday. He observed that a large part of Pakistan’s Shiite population did not approve of any Islamic force without representation from Shiite majority states, including Iran. The government could therefore land in trouble the moment this military alliance is operationalized against Iran or Iranian “strategic partners” in Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon, he added.
Media reports are already reporting cracks in the coalition as some partners, including Qatar – with whom several other Arab have just cut ties – have opposed linking Iran with terrorism. The emir of Qatar’s speech post-Riyadh signaled a widening split within the military alliance and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). His assertion that “the real danger lies in the behavior of certain governments which have bred terrorism themselves, by adopting an extreme version of Islam,” is indicative of a widening polarization within the Islamic world.
Mary Farmer This is the best commentary on this article. Way to go – Mary.
When you escaped from mental asylum. You should be sent back to Saudi with your stone age mentality brothers
Avarice leads a man to his personal destrunction and loss of reputation. The greed for money has brough disgrace upon Raheel Shareef. Being an ex army chief he would have been well settled but still human greed knows no bound. Its in Pak interest to get out from this stupid alliance of Wahaabis and have peaceful relationship with its neighbours.
Fish in the troubled water. Leaving Saudi Led alliance is not easy as has been thought, you have to carry the laguage / Baggage ( People working in Middle East) too. Emerging situation would escalate the shifting people as well as cessation of remunerations to Pakistan in multi-million of the dollar yearly.
PAKISTAN SHOULD NOT BE IN THE SAUDI ALLIANCE, WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND OUR NEIGHBOURING MUSLIM COUNTRIES.
It is in our interest to be in the alliance. We can act as an bridge between Saudia and Iran. Raheel Sharif took the right decision by taking up the assignment.
I think the pakistanee people and Army are Greatful people that never bites the finger that feed them, The recognise the role and help played by the Saudis toward the islamic ummah at whole and pakistan to be specific.
Pakistani military is known for it’s stupid and unwise alliances with Saudis, MI5/6 and the CIA. Since the invasion of Afghanistan by the then USSR Pakistan has been milking Saudi Arabia using Afghan misery opportunistically. Pakistani military cannot win any wars they don;t have the strategic thought and planning capability neccessary execute successful wars. Pakistani ISI has been using the Afghan mujahedin against the Russians and then later against Afghanistan itself to gain a foothold in Afghanistan. Pakistan cannot succeed using ethnic Pakistani soldiers to do battle they always lose.
However they see the writing on the wall that Saudi power is waning and the world is tilting in the direction of Russia, China, India and Iranian alliance. So opportunistically reeling back from allying itself with the Saudis however they remain partners in crime with the CIA and British intelligence despite partnerships with China. It will be interesting to see how events turn out in war torn Afghanistan once the Americans are forced out and the Taliban take over.
Pakistan’s foreign policy cracks are now widening.After years of taking money from KSA without giving anything in return except blabbering about it’s nuclear assets,now they are under pressure to join the alliance.
Lol