I have lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates for the last 12 years and it is my second home, indeed. Likewise, the Emirates are home to more than 1.5 million Pakistanis, and a prime source of welfare, prosperity and a bright future for their kith and kin. Thus, Pakistan’s relations with the UAE are multi-pronged. It is not only a major source of remittances which forms the backbone of our economy but also strategically and geo-politically an indispensable friend in foreign relations. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are two pristine Arab allies to whom Pakistan looks up to in admiration, and has always been scouted in times of need. Any deterioration of relations, thus, with any of these Gulf allies would be a strategic drawback.
It is noted with a heavy heart that Pakistan has not been on the same page with these two Arab friends for quite some time! Pakistan-UAE relations, especially, are up for a toss. Much water has flown down the bridge, and little damage-control measures have been taken. A candid assessment proves that the UAE and Saudi Arabia had always gone out of the way to help Pakistan and had never played to the gallery in letting down Islamabad. Be it supply of oil on subsidised tariff and deferred payments, or lending cash tranches, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are generous to the core. Moreover, the Pakistani workforce in these two countries are treated with due respect, and hundreds-and-thousands of families enjoy the bounties of a modern civic life in all serenity.
Let us take a calculus as to what went wrong; how and why? A theory says that Saudi Arabia and the UAE looked up to Pakistan for soliciting the expertise of Pakistan’s armed forces in helping them fight their war with Yemen. The then parliament voted against the move and the proposal was shelved. The Pakistan Army is not mercenary and the decision was made in the national interest. Period! Neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia took to ranting over this unexpected polite decline. They may have expressed their reservations through official channels, but didn’t go public to air their grievances. But coteries of spoilers kept on harping over this issue in the media and are primarily responsible for creating bad blood.
Then there was the issue of forming a multinational army for protecting Arab interests in the region, primarily against so-called Iranian hegemony in the Arabian Gulf. Pakistan was also asked to pitch in its contribution. Islamabad handled the move wisely and very tactfully. It made it clear that it has nothing against Iran, per se, and didn’t consider it as a rogue power in the region. Secondly, it said it will pool up its armed forces, but only for the purpose of defending the Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia, and that too in the wake of an aggression. The logic worked. Saudi Arabia was receptive to it.
Riyadh, then, sought the services of Pakistan’s retired Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif to head the multinational Islamic Force. He was at the zenith of his prestige having successfully defeated the terror-base at home. Islamabad obliged. A generous Saudi Arabia bestowed the crown of marshalling Islamic forces on a Pakistani general, and it went well in the annals of history, despite backbiting at home for reasons of amplification. This aspect proved that the Saudis and the Emirates believe in looking forward and didn’t cast a shadow of mistrust in the wake of the Yemen fiasco.
Enter the Israel factor! The UAE along with Bahrain decided to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia, too, played soft; and hinted at moving towards the Jewish state at an appropriate time in future. They are well within their sovereign rights to do so. None can dictate them, nor lecture on morals of realpolitik! But once again the witch-crafters went on a spree and pitched the theory that the Gulf States want Pakistan to follow suit in recognising Zion. There wasn’t any meat in the story but it was sold hands down. Neither did the UAE or Saudi Arabia exert any pressure on Pakistan to do so.
Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as the military establishment didn’t ever name them. Rather, the substance was a general assessment that Pakistan is under pressure from powers-that-be to walk in haste towards recognising the Jewish state; and the hint was obviously at Washington. President Donald Trump’s administration was eager to pool in as much recognition as possible before exiting the White House. The Arab allies as far as Pakistan is concerned looked the other way round!
The vested interest was to paint Pakistan in bad light, as Prime Minister Imran Khan had successfully diversified the foreign policy by inching closer towards Turkey, Iran and Malaysia. That never meant abandoning or downgrading its Arab allies. Had that been the case, Pakistan’s resolution on Kashmir at the OIC moot at Niger would not have been carried by the Saudis whole-heartedly.
While Riyadh and Ankara, too, were engaged in a war of words over emerging strategic dynamics in the region, and Saudi Arabia also had an axe to grind with Malaysia, the pundits of doom excessively painted the Israel card with stigmas of ‘ifs and buts’, and relentlessly concluded that Pakistan is done in by its Gulf allies!
That Pandora Box conveniently colluded with the surging Pandemic. As Pakistan reported an increasing number of Corona Virus cases in November, the UAE went ahead to list Pakistan among countries from where visitors are banned temporarily. The UAE never ever said that employment visas are banned for Pakistanis. It may be pointed out that issuance of employment visas is suspended for all countries’ applicants who are outside the UAE since March 2020. But for people of any nationality inside the UAE, there is no bar on converting their visit visa into employment.
The diatribe was uncalled for. Good enough that the misconception was successfully negated by the Adviser to the PM on Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari as he spoke to the UAE Minister for Human Resources and Emiratisation Naseer bin Thani Al Hamli in a virtual meeting on Nov 26, 2020. The UAE also made it clear that there is no ban on workforce from Pakistan, and the visit visa suspension is temporary.
The UAE has never discriminated against Pakistanis, come-what-may.
Pakistan’s workforce is admired and respected for its loyalty and dedication. The Emiratis value and cherish their bonding with Pakistan, as the latter was instrumental in helping them realise many of the firsts as the Arab country grew from strength to strength.
Pakistan has helped the UAE in establishing the Emirates Airlines; supplying manpower in abundance for construction and oil rig drilling; landmark agreements in defence and regional cooperation; playing a pivotal role in training the armed forces, and last but not the least, guiding the infant UAE in its quest for services development and banking.
Both the countries share a nexus for conducting joint military exercises and intelligence sharing. This military cooperation in itself reflects a kaleidoscope of multi-faceted cooperation for regional stability and territorial integrity of the respective states.
Such a sound cooperation should not be thrown to the wind on flimsy grounds. Islamabad is in need of reaching out to Abu Dhabi to discover as to what went wrong, and why this knee jerk reaction of suspending visas? There is no point in furthering the so-called prejudiced theory that the Israel or Turkey factor is behind the snub!
A point to be noted is that reports casting UAE-Pakistan relations in bad light have either originated from Israeli or the Indian media. Who has an axe to grind? Why not a similar propaganda against 11 other countries, including Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen Tunisia, Libya or Kenya? Doesn’t Israel need their recognition to stand tall in the comity of nations?
Prime Minister Imran Khan and his kitchen cabinet, along with the military brass, should air-dash Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and indulge in some serious fence-mending. Both the UAE and Saudis have a common foreign policy context for the region. There are surely some issues swirling beneath the surface; but certainly, it’s not the Israeli factor. It is time for statesmanship rather than political brinkmanship.
Pakistan should closely introspect if there are any concerns that the UAE may have with Pakistan or not, and address them spontaneously. There could be a conflict of interest in the domains of geo-economy. It’s all about Machiavellianism. Pakistan has to do some soul-searching and homework before talking to the Emiratis, as well as the Saudis. Their concerns, if any, need to be taken care of. They are not our competitors; rather we have enjoyed commonality of interests for decades. Time to woo them, and win over their hearts!
Talking through the media or tweeting rejoinders is irresponsible diplomacy. Pakistan and UAE are above-board and their ties warrant congeniality at all levels. The personal touch that Pakistan always experienced under the leadership of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of UAE, should be revisited. The visionary leadership of UAE has always exhibited love and passion for Pakistan and its people. This fragrance of fraternity should be upheld, at any cost.
Pakistan simply cannot afford to lose its all-weather foreign friends. So should be the case primarily with all those countries where Pakistanis live as expatriates and send in their hard-earned foreign exchange. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, Malaysia, the European Union, United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, the United States, South Africa and Australia are other destinations that are home to thousands of Pakistani families. Protecting their interests for Islamabad is sine qua non in state affairs.
Pakistan currently receives around $25 billion per annum as remittances from Non-Resident Pakistanis worldwide who are the unsung heroes of the country. Most remittances come from the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They have contributed to their homeland’s welfare on all counts, and at the same time have eulogised Pakistan’s reputation abroad as a workaholic, competent and resilient workforce. Time to safeguard their rights and interest tooth and nail! This is mandatory, and is a national duty.
