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Last updated: Oct 2018

mmahindro@yahoo.com

What are the major challenges to Pakistan’s foreign policy

with reference to the Middle East crisis?

The proxy war in Syria and the role of other powers:

A war of attrition is going on in the Middle East particularly in Syria and Yemen. Naming the real
belligerents behind the proxies going on is complicated. In Syria, the Sunni rebels, ISIS, Kurds are
fighting with the Al mite Shia regime of Bashar al Assad. The opposition to Bashar is being
supported by Saudi Arabia who has a strong anti-Shia posture. Bashar, on the other hand, is being
backed by Iran, Hezbollah (a Shia Jihadi group fighting against Israel) of Lebanon, Russia directly
bombarding the rebels (Russia presently have a naval base on the western coast of Syria) of Bashar
government. Israel is also happy that Syria’s own Muslim brethren have weakened its enemy Syria
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on its North-Eastern border. It is not difficult to analyze which side it will be on in the ongoing
civil war. It will not be out of place to mention here that Israel is still occupying the Golan Heights

Why USA, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey got involved?
The United States though not directly involved like that of Russia but is helping the Bashar
opponents in all possible manners to weaken the Bashar government to the maximum, so it does
not remain any more a significant enemy to Israel. America’s this posture undoubtedly is also to
please Saudi Arabia as later wants to oust the pro-Iran Bashar government. Kurds who are mostly
living in the Northeastern part of Syria and are historically aspirant of having an independent
homeland are struggling their best to grab a chunk of land for themselves out of the ongoing civil
war. Since they have also a substantive population in the Southeast of Turkey and have been
demanding autonomy in Turkey, therefore, Turkey considered it necessary to get involved in the
war. It accordingly moved its forces into Northern Syria bordering on its South with the objective
to reduce the area under Kurd occupation, and also to make Turkey safe from the Southern side.
As a result of this war, Turkey has to accommodate around four million Syrian refugees.

The Yemen front:

Saudi Arabia is fighting a similar disastrous war in Yemen but more directly as compared
to Syria. In Yemen, Shia Houthi tribes of the north occupied most of Yemen in the recent past and
forced the Sunni government lead by President Mansur Hadi to leave the country. It is believed
that Houthis are supported by Iran. Under the situation, Saudi Arabia wanted to restore the Sunni
government. It, therefore, supplied a lot of ammunition and forces to dislodge the Houthis from
the occupied areas and to restore the Hadi government. Saudi Arabia was successful in restoring
the government of President Hadi but only in the south as Houthis are proving a formidable force
to be easily overpowered by Saudi lead forces. The civil war has resulted in massive destruction
of infrastructure, and unimaginable human sufferings on both sides. However, more sufferings
have been witnessed particularly of Houthis.

In the face of this situation, Saudi Arabia called a meeting of 34 Muslim states without Iran
and Syria to form a military alliance. This alliance named “The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism
Coalition (IMCTC)” came into being in 2016 with a joint operations center in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. In the beginning, there were 34 members, but subsequently, the number rose to 41.
Pakistan’s former chief of Army Staff, General (R) Raheel Sharif was made the commander-in-
chief of the alliance in January 2017.

Position of Pakistan:
Saudi Arabia wanted Pakistan to participate actively in its fight against Iran particularly in
Yemen on account of Pakistan’s long-lasting friendship with Saudi Arabia, also for the reason that
later used to provide economic assistance to Pakistan in difficult times in the past. That was a
great test and challenge for Pakistan. Pakistan’s direct involvement in this war against Iran
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supported Houthi would have meant a direct clash with its Muslim neighbor in the south-west.
Pakistan could not afford that also for the reason that it is the house of around 15% Shia population
which could unleash politico-sectarian unrest in the country. Though Pakistan became a member
of the IMCTC, it refrained from taking an active part in the Saudi-Iran fight. Same was the role
Pakistan played during Iraq-Iran war 1979-89. During that long war Pakistan remained impartial,
rather tried its best to bring both the belligerents to peace. As regards joining of Raheel Sharif as
head of the IMCTC that was considered a retired General’s individual decision and not the decision
of Government of Pakistan.

Pakistan being a weak economy is also not in a position to take a total about turn from both
Saudi Arabia and the United States, therefore, it has always exhibited a little tilt towards the both
but not at the cost of Iran’s enmity. When the U.S. clamped sanctions against Iran in the past,
Pakistan stalled progress on Iran- Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Iran retaliated by cultivating
more friendly relations with India. India accordingly also helped Iran to develop its Chabahar port
in the South East of Iran as a new transit route between India-Iran and Afghanistan bypassing
Pakistan. This development was also a response to the development of Gwadar port by China in
Pakistan. The distance between Gwadar and Chabahar is just 107 miles.

In the wake of those above, it could be maintained that Pakistan’s foreign policy of
impartiality and neutrality concerning the Middle East is the most appropriate one.
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