What has been shocking for Pakistan’s ruling elite, the state’s bosses and media and intelligentsia barons has been the negative response of the masses at large to becoming an accomplice in the Saudi monarchy’s brutal aggression against Yemen. Some in the media have even dared to reveal the vicious character of the despotic Saudi regime and its atrocious treatment of more than 2.5 million Pakistani immigrant workers, banished into slavery and drudgery by these tyrannical monarchs. The hesitation, lack of confidence and hypocrisy of the rulers is pathetic. An official press report said, “Pakistan called upon the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the international community to play a constructive role in finding a political solution to the crisis in Yemen. An official statement from the PM House had said the meeting concluded that Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan. It was also emphasised in the meeting that Pakistan is committed to playing a meaningful role in resolving the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.”
What a laughable, pathetic and spineless response! In reality, what is said about consulting parliament and informing the people is a brazen, cynical, stinking farce. These rulers are mere puppets that are informed about military operations and other crucial foreign policy decisions by the top bosses of the state and their imperialist masters actually calling the shots, mostly after they have already been executed.
Nawaz Sharif was granted amnesty under pressure from the Saudi monarchs and spent his years in exile after Musharraf’s coup in 1999 in Saudi Arabia, where he was a guest of the royal family (which was also his business partner) and lived in obscene luxury. The Saudi royals paved the way for his return to the country and road to power. On his coming to power in 2013, he was doled out a gift of $ 1.5 billion by the Saudi government. Despite his frequent visits and business deals with China, Turkey and Qatar, and his bondage with US masters, he is still more indebted to the Saudi monarchy. Saudi Arabia regularly provides free oil for Pakistan’s military and other ‘gifts’ on a regular basis. With tanks, fighter planes and naval ships running on Saudi oil, it is not an option for the Pakistani ruling class to deny their master’s orders. Pakistan’s mullahs and religious parties also regularly get huge donations and Wahabi indoctrination to run their madrassas (seminaries) and terrorist outfits. Saudi Arabia was the first country in the whole world to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan back in 1996.
Saudi Arabia has always been a bossy key player in Pakistani politics. Along with administering large sums of money for the army and the clerics, they have been instrumental in toppling unwanted governments and bringing favourites to power. All this was being done in cooperation with the US imperialist masters. But, since then, fissures have been developing in US-Saudi relations and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Pakistani ruling class to serve two masters at the same time.
For the working masses this patronage by Saudi monarchs for the right wing parties and ruling class of Pakistan was always presented in the garb of the holy land’s benefaction for their religious brethren. But those working in this ‘holy land’ always know the disgusting attitude towards them, as Saudi rulers consider them slaves and untouchables. They can never get the nationality of this holy land and always need a Saudi citizen’s guarantee to work or do any kind of business. The Saudi regime’s contemptuous attitude towards Pakistanis is laid bare by the fact that no Pakistani under the age of 40 is allowed to perform umrah, which is also a form of pilgrimage to the holy Kaaba in all months of the year except the month of hajj. Even Indian Muslims and those from all countries of the world are not subjected to this prohibition. However, every Pakistani ruler goes for umrah when their rule is threatened, less to pay homage to the holy sites and more to get blessings from the mighty Al Saud King who pulls the strings of the Pakistani state and power brokers. Millions of Pakistanis, mainly from the petit bourgeoisie, visit Mecca and Medina for hajj every year, which is a big source of income for this reactionary Saudi regime.
On the other hand, the Saudi army, which is the fourth most costly in the world, has never been to war. When the Saudis moved to crush the revolution in Bahrain in 2011, they relied heavily on Pakistani soldiers and mercenaries. The Saudis allegedly called recently for the Pakistani army to deploy 30,000 troops on the border of Saudi Arabia with Iraq and Syria to defend the House of Saud against an impending attack by the Islamic State (IS). It is clear that the kingdom does not trust its own forces, which could just as well turn their expensive arms against the House of Saud itself. This shows the intrinsic weakness of this despotic regime and fears of the ruling elite.
Saudi Arabian fighter aircraft have been ferociously bombing targets across Yemen, killing hundreds if not thousands of civilians, including children, but it is clear that this figure will dramatically rise, as the targets of the attack are moving into the populated areas in Sanaa and the northern Houthi villages. Refugee camps, factories and congested civilian areas are being bombed. The infrastructure, whole towns and cities are being destroyed and turned into ruins. Along with the Arab states’ ‘holy’ alliance, Israel is also bombing Houthis in Yemen. This shows the decline of this system, where events are now exposing the farce of diplomacy and state-sponsored ideologies of hating Israel and hollow slogans for Palestinian freedom. It shows the class unity of repressive regimes and why workers from all religious and national backgrounds should come together and fight against this cruel system.
Yemen, which is the poorest Arab country, has yet again become a target for savage attacks by the Saudi regime. The burgeoning domestic crisis has given birth to a waning hegemony in the region and the rising desperation of the reactionary Saud family, with its aggravating internal feuds with the present clique that has come to power with the advent of King Salman to the throne. His 30-year-old son, Mohammad, who has been appointed the new defence minister, is a bully gone berserk. In reality, they are trying to protect the Saudi ruling class and its imperialist designs in the Middle East. The Saudis could not accept the disintegration of Yemen and it falling into the hands of Iranian-backed forces on its southern borders. Since the Iraq war, Iran and now to some extent Qatar have developed into the biggest threat to the supremacy of Saudi Arabia in the region. Turkey is also growing its influence by supporting IS in Iraq and Syria and other proxies in the region.
(To be concluded)
The writer is the editor of Asian Marxist Review and international secretary of Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign. He can be reached at [email protected]