A pivot to Saudi Arabia?

• 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.

from Pakistan Today