Saudis coming for Deal Brokering with Taliban?
Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad: Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal will arrive in Islamabad on Monday. Political observers consider his visit extremely significant at a juncture of time when United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan and Pakistan government is pleading a truce with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but TTP always refuses to talk with Pakistani government. Saudi Arabia that has historic relations with radical forces of this region can fix a deal between Taliban and Pakistan government. There is possibility of his meeting of Saud Al-Faisal with religious leaders of Pakistan including Maulana Samiul Haq and Maulana Fazlur Rehman who in past played lead role to establish Mujahideen and Taliban during Russia-Afghan jihad with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and United States.
Pakistan government is trying hard to establish a truce with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while TTP is not ready for any negotiation with Pakistan government and keeps following its path of striking Pakistan Army and sectarian violence in Pakistan. Mian Nawaz Sharif has requested Maulana Samiul Haq to help the government for such truce with Taliban recently as Samiul Haq is very much respected among Taliban groups and most of Taliban leaders are his former students.
Some circles of Pakistani establishment claim that TTP is financially supported from Gulf States and Saudi Arabia for establishing Saudi form of Islamic government in the region as far as Muslims provinces of China and some parts of Central Asia so only Saudis can talk to Taliban to stop their war against state of Pakistan.
During his two-day official visit, the Saudi foreign minister will hold in-depth talks with Pakistani leadership including President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the premier’s advisor on foreign policy and national security Sartaj Aziz. Saudi Arabia was broker a deal between former Gen Musharaf and the then deposed prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif that resulted in safe passage for Mian Nawaz Sharif from Attock jail and he was shifted to Saudi Arabia where he lived for almost a decade under an agreement with among Sharif family, Gen Musharaf and Saudi government. Mian Nawaz Sharif is considered as strongest ally of Saudi Arabia and kingdom helps him whenever he needs support due to his sectarian alignment with Saudi kingdom. General Musharraf wrote in his memoirs that, thanks to Saudi Arabia and King Fahd, Sharif’s life was spared by the military court otherwise Sharif would have met the same fate as of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979.
Political observers are of the view Saudi Foreign Minister will discuss important regional issues including Pak-Iran relations and Pak-Iran gas pipeline, truce with Taliban, role of Pakistan in reactivating OIC and will also discuss ways to further expanding Pakistan-Saudi Arabia ties and enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Political observers believe that Riyadh is working for its own independent diplomatic bloc but of course within the framework of foreign policy of United States and a stronger Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and OIC will be a bulwark against any attempt of United States to marganlise Saudi interests in Muslim world.
Observers are of the view that Saudi Arabia wishes to develop a grouping of Muslim Ummah giving lead role to only Muslim nuclear power—Pakistan and this grouping can be similar to the European Union, would create tighter economic and security cooperation among these countries, which have in common a model of governance that promises economic prosperity and opportunity in exchange for political stability for citizens.
Whether Saudi Arabia can achieve the goals it has ambitiously set for itself is now the question of 2014 as Qatar in recent years tried a similar push for influence and wishes lead role in Muslim world with the support of United States.
