Fatima Bhutto was spot on when she said that, “When everyone is done writing about Saudi ‘reforms’ maybe they can go back to addressing the Kingdom’s more pressing agenda: war, famine etc.”
To any Pakistan watcher, Pakistan’s dependence on Saudi Arabia and ever growing influence of the Kingdom on the state and society is obvious. Saudi Arabia provides the crucial balance of payments support to Pakistan as a ‘gift’ of USD 1.5 dollars was announced a while back. It employs a large part of Pakistan’s labour force which is the source of much needed foreign remittances back home; it provides oil to Pakistan on concessional terms in the hour of need. In return, Pakistan allows the Kingdom-backed religious groups to sprout, operate and grow in Pakistan. Pakistan is long committed to protecting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and its ex-army chief is heading the Saudi-led alliance since his retirement. Saudi influence is so prevalent in Pakistan that increasing number of women in urban and semi-urban areas cover themselves with abaya (loose over garment) and increasing cars display Arabic sounding Al-Bakistan number plates. In other words, both the political and military leadership is beholden to Saudi influence and it is also getting spread in the larger Pakistani society. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the US defence alliance since late 1970s starting with Afghan war continues till today.
Many Pakistan watchers have critically written about the ever-growing Saudi influence in Pakistan. However, what is often missing in discourse is the failure to acknowledge that there is a strong West’s romance with the Kingdom as well; particularly of the US and UK. President Trump was one of the first leaders to tweet in support of recent ‘reforms’ in the Kingdom: “I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing…” The Kingdom was the first country that Trump chose to visit after assuming office. Saudi Arabia lavishly welcomed Trump by sealing USD 110 billion worth arms deal and investment of USD 350 billion over the next ten years.
To any Pakistan observer, Pakistan’s dependence on Saudi Arabia and ever growing influence of the Kingdom on Pakistan’s state and society is obvious
Even under President Obama, US sold arms worth billions to the Kingdom. According to Guardian, UK’s arms sales to the Kingdom will reach GBP 1.1 billion in 2017. Arms sales campaigners, Campaign against Arms Trade, in the UK lost a high-profile case in high court to stop arms sales to the Kingdom over civilian deaths in Yemen crisis due to Saudi bombing in a two-year long aerial bombing. The Kingdom has bought arms worth more than GBP 3 billion from Britain in the past two years and is the UK’s ‘largest weapons client’, according to the Guardian.
There is growing literature on links of 9/11 hijackers to official Saudi circles. The Kingdom, other than being the archenemy of Iran, supports extremist groups around the world through its oil money. In the West, Saudi-backed clergy often controls the mosque networks. The Kingdom-backed extremist groups are busy spreading the retrogressive hate-based religious and sectarian ideology in many parts of world that contributes to terrorism. The Kingdom’s own human rights record on its soil is abysmal by any decent standards. The Kingdom has been killing civilians in Yemen’s aerial bombing, even targeting the funerals. Due to Yemen conflict, large number of civilians are dying due to outbreak of cholera and famine. There is a real humanitarian crisis in Yemen; yet the US and UK have turned blind eye to it by backing the Kingdom. It seems all the rhetoric by the West on protection of human rights is for the consumption of galleries. The US and UK protect their economic interests that are closely aligned with the oil money of the Kingdom and either turn a blind eye to human rights violations and even contribute to them by selling billion of dollars of arms to Saudi Arabia.
There is a saying: “everyone goes to cash machine”. Pakistan allows hegemonic Saudi influence in its state policies and societal trends with the backing of political and military elite. The West, particularly the US and UK, protect the interests of their arms industry and attract the Saudi investment, ignoring human rights violations and civilians deaths.
The writer has a social science background and can be reached on twitter @FoqiaKhan
Published in Daily Times, November 13th 2017.