My charge sheet against the present regime is a long one. Foremost amongst them – under the motto “U-Turns, the hallmark of leadership”; it has gone back on its pre-election pledges. If betrayal of people’s mandate was a cognizable offense, is not for me to judge. But just in case this government intended to execute yet another volte-face, I will happily follow.
There were times we had mastered the art of tightrope walking. Cozied up to China at the displeasure of our patron-in-chief, who one day sought our help to jump over the hump. After the Iranian Revolution, we kept both the Yanks and the Mullahs in good humour – even winning the right to represent the latter in America. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Zia’s tap-dancing over the Washington-Moscow-Delhi infernal triangle was a masterly act. And indeed the balancing act in our relationship with the most implacable enemies the world has ever know, Iran and Saudi Arabia, was matched only once in our region – by Crown Prince Abdullah after the first Gulf War of 1991.
Internal strives have almost always paved the way for external intervention. It was therefore inevitable that after the Cold War, the now sole superpower would pounce upon the opportunity when Saddam was stroking fires in the region – turning his guns on Kuwait after warring with Iran. To prevent any recurrence, Abdullah started mending fences with his estranged neighbours – Yemen, Iran, even Iraq – all against the American desires. Post 9/11, the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, brought most of the oil resources under Shiite regimes and Iran gained traction. Same Abdullah, now the King, beseeched Obama to cut his sectarian rival to size. MBS, Abdullah’s de-facto successor, took that U-turn round and about.
As if Bombing Yemen to exhibit its spite for Iran was not enough, the Saudis have done a Faustian deal with Israel – sans the twenty-four years grace period Goethe’s Mephistopheles had granted. In the bargain the Kingdom has not only lost its soul but the grand design too has backfired. The old chess players, the Persians, have ganged up with powerful allies, Russia and China, on Brzezinski’s grand chess board. Coincidentally, this was also the core of our line-up when we were positioning ourselves for the end game in Afghanistan.
Imran Khan’s wilting under Saudi pressure to absent himself from an important conference in Malaysia, was unwise. But if he was now having second thoughts and actually pulled-off an about-turn, he would not only get back to the right side of geography, the mother of history, but would also be calling the Bedouin Bluff.
Ours is an old relationship. The expatriates from the Subcontinent, mostly Muslims, had started building the Saudi State much before it became rich. They will be still be there after the place runs out of oil and the natives were back on camels – both not beyond the pale of imagination –and for the reasons they went there in the first place– Makkah and Medina. Calling back a measly loan of three billion dollars, or threatening to throw out an odd million of our workers was so silly that we now have no choice but to dare them. We may not have done terribly well on many accounts but our record of standing up to pressures – lately of the US during their so-called war on terror – has not been too bad.
Lieutenant General Mohammad Asad Durrani is a retired 3-star general from the Pakistan Army and presently a commentator, speaker and author. Durrani previously served as the Director General - Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and former Director General - Military Intelligence (MI)..
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Lt. General Asad Durrani (Retired)https://www.commandeleven.com/author/asaddurrani/
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Lt. General Asad Durrani (Retired)https://www.commandeleven.com/author/asaddurrani/
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Lt. General Asad Durrani (Retired)https://www.commandeleven.com/author/asaddurrani/
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Lt. General Asad Durrani (Retired)https://www.commandeleven.com/author/asaddurrani/
