Saudi Arabia-led decision to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar has put Pakistan between a rock and a hard place as Islamabad enjoys friendly ties with both the states. Six Arab states – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen – closed their ties with their Gulf neighbour accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and escalating the tensions in the region. Reacting angrily to the closure of borders and airspace, and severing of diplomatic relations by these states, Qatar condemned the decision describing it as an unjustified move based on false claims and assumptions to undermine the oil rich Gulf state. Pakistan, in its immediate response, said it won’t join the KSA-led move against Qatar – whose ruling elite is close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Since PM Sharif has personal ties with the Saudi royal family too, it will be hard to leave one and choose the other. Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that Pakistan would continue diplomatic ties with Qatar. Another official at the foreign ministry said that Pakistan would not jump into confrontation between other countries. The KSA, who led the move, accused the Sunni majority state of sponsoring terrorism through support to groups like al-Qaeda, Daesh (ISIS) and Muslim Brotherhood. It also accused Qatar of supporting Iranian-backed militants in its restive and largely Shia-populated eastern region of Qatif and inBahrain. Interestingly, Qatar in recent weeks has been accused outright of terror funding in articles which have appeared in the American media. The US and Iran had divergent opinion about the crisis but they both urged all the parties to address their differences through dialogue. Opposition lawmakers demanded the government clarify its position over the diplomatic standoff between Qatar and several Arab countries. Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi urged the government to clarify its position over the issue after six countries cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on charges of supporting extremist groups. He said since the issue would have greatimplications for the region, so the government and Foreign Office should have come to the House to clarify their position. He said that Pakistan had strategic relations with Saudi Arabia. He said that Iran is our neighbour that shares a vast border with us. Currently, the situation is not conducive at borders with Afghanistan and at the Line of Control in Kashmir. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah feared that if the situation in the Middle East worsened, it would have repercussions for Pakistan. For Pakistan the crisis presents a difficult conundrum. Islamabad has strong ties with both Doha and Riyadh. Pakistan Foreign Office for once acted promptly by announcing that Pakistan will stay out of this conflict. It is a prudent course for Pakistan. Islamabad should keep diplomatic channels open with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Pakistan may not launch any initiative for reconciliation among Muslim nations but it should try to push for normalcy. Pakistan should try to play role for the unity of Muslim world. The session of OIC should be call to deliberate the situation and resolve the crisis. The Saudi Arabia and its allies should avoid such strict measures because these steps will harm the interest of Muslim world and will also put adverse impact on it.
