Pakistan’s effort to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran can offer Islamabad much-needed space to manoeuvre its relationship with the arch-rivals. While it is unclear whether the mediation will result in anything tangible, Pakistan’s role as a balancer has already been accepted by Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Previously, Pakistan has had a serious problem when it comes to navigating its partnership between the two countries. Particularly, Saudi Arabia has never truly accepted Pakistan’s role as a mediator in its rivalry with Iran. The Kingdom has always dismissed Islamabad’s efforts to push for a more balanced role between Riyadh and Tehran. One of the most recent examples in this regard comes from the ongoing conflict in Yemen. In 2015, Pakistan’s Parliament refused to send troops to Yemen in an apparent request by Saudi Arabia to fight against Houthis which are closely allied with Iran. Pakistan’s decision to not send troops to Yemen was criticised not only by the Kingdom but also its allies in the region.
However, over the past few years, Pakistan has a constituency pushed for a position that no longer puts Pakistan in a state where the country’s interests and resources are deployed against one state or the other. The position has made a difference: If one compares Pakistan’s 2015 position with the one in 2019 that is attempting to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the country has come a long way.
So far, Saudi Arabia has not denied Pakistan’s growing role. Regardless of what happens to the mediation effort, going forward, Pakistan will have more space to manage its relationship between Tehran and Riyadh. What is certain is that Islamabad neither has the capacity nor leverage to fundamentally change Tehran and Riyadh’s bilateral partnership.
On Wednesday, continuing with his attempt to accelerate a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Prime Minister Imran Khan met the Kingdom’s leadership to encourage a negotiated settlement of disputes with Iran. In this regard, a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that “Prime Minister Khan advised the monarch to peacefully resolve regional disputes through diplomacy.”
While there has not been a public acknowledgement or rejection of PM’s effort, the Kingdom has not issued any statement after PM Khan’s meeting with Crown prince, Muhammad Bin Salman. Arguably, Pakistan’s intended position has been accepted by Saudi Arabia’s new leadership which sees Pakistan as a country that is pivotal to its security needs.
Islamabad neither has the capacity nor leverage to fundamentally change Tehran and Riyadh’s bilateral partnership
Before Crown Prince Salman, Saudi Arabia mostly rejected such initiatives by Pakistan.
While Pakistan may be making an effort to mediate between Riyadh and Tehran, the Kingdom’s appetite for thaw has likely led to the country not rejecting Pakistan’s role out rightly. In Saudi Arabia and Iran’s case, unless fundamental changes take place regarding both the state’s bilateral relationship, Pakistan or any other state cannot do more than facilitating a temporary calm, perhaps desired by both states. Currently, Pakistan is not the only country that is trying to mediate between the two countries; several other states are also involved in the process.
Arguably, Tehran and Riyadh’s politics are similar to some extent of Pakistan and India’s relationship. Both India and Pakistan have made efforts to deescalate when a major crisis erupts but there has not been a sustained effort to resolve fundamental problems between the two countries. Moreover, like Pakistan and India’s relationship, Saudi Arabia and Iran also have an ideological aspect to their confrontation which is deeply rooted in both countries’ domestic politics. Unless that ideological understanding of the confrontation changes, as it should happen with Pakistan and India’s case, both countries cannot hope for a sustainable solution.
In the coming weeks and months, Pakistan’s focus should be on keeping its role of a mediator alive, if not in substance than rhetorically. Islamabad needs to ensure that Pakistan’s emerging role as a facilitator of peace becomes a recognised position. What is encouraging is that Pakistan has pushed for this position at a time when the county faces a serious economic challenge. Moreover, in the coming months and years, this position facilitated by an effort to strengthen the economy will only bring tangible results.
The writer is based in Dunelm