The need for neutrality

A discordant note was struck in the joint press conference by the Pakistani and Saudi Foreign Ministers during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. While Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underlined the convergence with Saudi Arabia's position on regional issues, his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir denounced the Iranian government as the "chief sponsor of terrorism". Both statements came in response to questions by reporters. Perhaps the Saudi Foreign Minister's diatribe against Iran was to be expected, given the tensions, rivalry and even conflict with Iran on opposite sides of the wars in Syria and Yemen. It is not possible to truly understand this rivalry without taking account of the factor of sectarianism. For Pakistan, the Saudi Foreign Minister's outburst proved deeply embarrassing. Shah Mahmood Qureshi's subsequent attempt to paper over the discordance was a reflection of this embarrassment. It should not be forgotten that Pakistan and Iran are currently engaged in the issue of the suicide attack on a bus carrying personnel of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the latter country's Sistan-Balochistan province bordering Pakistan last week in which 27 guards were killed. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the attack on the spy agencies of some regional and trans-regional countries. IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari was less diplomatic. He pointed the finger of accusation at Saudi Arabia and the UAE, adding that Iran's patience was not without limits. The IRGC Commander also accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the sanctuaries on Pakistani soil of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Adl that carried out the latest of its attacks across the border into Iran. Ominously, Major General Jafari warned that if Pakistan failed to act against those sanctuaries, Iran has the right under international law to counter the threat and punish the terrorists. Shah Mahmood Qureshi had stated in the press conference that he had been in touch with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to seek proofs or evidence if Iran had some to confirm that the attack originated from Pakistani soil. The Pakistani Foreign Office added its two cents by saying Pakistan respects Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expected the same from Tehran. In the meantime, Iran has arrested three facilitators of the attack just across the border in Iran. Iranian officials claim they have provided Pakistani authorities with information regarding the hidden and semi-hidden training centres of Jaish-e-Adl and that Islamabad has launched an operation against them on February 17.
Pakistan has so far succeeded in keeping itself away from sharpening differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran. An example of this is Parliament's refusal in 2015 to accede to the Saudi request for Pakistani troops for Yemen, a step that could have sucked Pakistan into the sectarian quagmire in that country. Pakistan cannot afford, despite its close ties with Saudi Arabia and the economic help it is getting as a result of the Crown Prince's visit, to be party to any anti-Iran campaign. Pakistan's best interests lie in remaining neutral in the conflicts in the region and certainly not to become part of these conflicts at the cost of its ties with other regional states. Staying away from these regional power games is also a way to ensure sectarian harmony at home.