Daily Times

Forced onto the back foot on the domestic front, US President Trump seems to have given foreign policy a little more weightage than usual in his election campaign. First he ordered a complete about-turn on almost two decades of official policy and allowed a negotiated end to the war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Then he’s reached out in the Middle East, and surprised everybody by getting the UAE and Israel to shake hands, even though he’s himself been more than a little surprised surely by the lukewarm response from other Arab states. Once again Saudi King Salman, in a phone call, called for a fair and permanent solution to the Palestinian problem before the matter of recognising Israel could even be discussed.

It is true that most international observers expected Riyadh to jump onto the bandwagon not long after Abu Dhabi, since the two are not known to adopt divergent policies on important international matters. And nothing has stirred the collective soul of the Middle East quite like the struggle of the Palestinians over the last seven decades, which makes this matter more important than most others in the region. That is why the position adopted by Saudi Arabia has impressed so many other Muslim countries.

Perhaps this moment can provide Pakistan with a good topic to engage Riyadh over. The Saudi concern for oppressed people in occupied territories mirrors Pakistan’s deep worry about the fate of the people of Occupied Kashmir. Considering the recent souring of relations between the two countries, such diplomacy could also help heal temporary wounds quickly. Pakistan has always stood for the rights of the Palestinians, but it should make a renewed commitment to support them especially in these times. Similarly, Saudi Arabia should also speak of Kashmir when it does of Palestine since the people of both territories have suffered unforgivable wrongs and siding with their struggle is the right thing to do. There is, eventually, only one way in which territories like Occupied Palestine and Occupied Kashmir can gain their independence. And that is for enough people in the world to know about the many wrongs done to them and then force their governments into taking action. That is precisely why the more governments speak for them at international forums the better. And that is where Saudi help can make a lot of difference. *