Time to Re-Evaluate Relations with Saudi Arabia

"We in Saudi Arabia are not observers in Pakistan, we are participants."

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have enjoyed strong bi-lateral ties for decades and Pakistani citizens mostly regard Saudi Arab rulers with reverence, as Saudi rulers are the self-proclaimed guardians of the Holy Shrines in Mecca and Medina. 

That being said, it is worth noting that the influence of Saudi Arabia in Pakistani affairs has been –for want of a better word- unhealthy. When it comes to making decisions on regional policies, solving energy issues or even parliamentary affairs, somehow Saudi Arabia will be involved in them. Thus, such an unhealthy interest in our national affairs by a foreign country should be a cause of concern for us a nation and more so for our policy planners, but are they even concerned?

Recently when Ex-Dictator cum Ex-President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Pakistan after four years of self imposed exile, it was reported that he did so after Saudis played a key role in sealing a deal with Nawaz Sharif to keep clear off Musharraf and turned the keys here and there in the corridors of power in Islamabad to ensure Pervez Muharraf’s safe arrival.

In wiki leaks cables it was found that though Saudis clearly favor Nawaz Sharif in Pakistani politics, and it has been shown a number of times, but they also have a certain likeness for Musharraf and view the Army “as their winning horse” Pakistan.  

In addition, it is common knowledge that many of our religious parties –dare I say all of them?-are on Saudi payroll, and the Saudis have funneled huge sums of money in creation of religious institutions throughout Pakistan. It strikes me as singularly amusing when I see religious parties in Pakistan indulging in anti-US tirades but conveniently forgetting that their biggest financier is USA’s main enforcer in this region.

Also, the Saudi petro-dollar being dished out to religious parties and seminaries is becoming a headache for Pakistan. In South Punjab, for instance, it has been reported that Saudis are funding almost 100 million dollars each year to Deobandi and Ahl-e Hadith clerics, who are using those funds to establish extremist networks in those areas and from where terrorists can fan out in Pakistan to attack religious minorities and security officials.

 The PMLN led government in Punjab has never been interested in dismantling those networks and putting restrictions on such financing. But they can be forgiven for  their lack of action in this regards, since Mian Nawaz Sharif himself is Saudi Arabia’s favorite politician in Pakistan, who is heavily indebted to them for their ‘generous help’ in election campaigns and providing ‘special development loans’ to him during his exile there.

Besides financing terrorist outfits in Punjab, Saudis are also ‘allegedly ‘involved in Baluchistan crisis (aren’t they already too much involved?). Reason being the Pak Iran Gas pipeline which is critical for addressing the nation’s crisis, but which is being sabotaged by the nexus of USA and Saudi Arabia because they do not want to see the spread of Iranian influence in the region and also because Saudis consider Iranian enemies based on differences in sects. Indeed, it has been revealed that this nexus of Saudi Arabia and USA has been involved in fomenting separatism in Baluchistan, which is resulting in numerous deaths in the province and is a cause of concern for both Pakistan and Iran because if the separatist strife keeps on increasing in Baluchistan, it would put the gas pipe line in jeopardy ( much to the satisfaction of Saudis and Americans).

Thus with all the trouble that Saudis are responsible for creating in Pakistan, it is time for our government and political/politico-religious parties to reevaluate their relations with KSA,  as its constant interference in our affairs is giving us more harm rather than the benefits it purports to provide. For that, our leaders will have to take tough decisions as Saudis still provide us with much needed crude oil and aid assistance. It is a tricky balancing act, but one that has to performed, as too much damage has already been done by our love affair with the ‘brotherly Muslim country’.

Black Cats and Siri Paye

I was delightfully munching on some chapli kebabs (another dish that I have learnt after to coming to AUS), when my mom called me to ask whether I have received money that they have sent. After confirming that, we began talking about random things, just like two close friends who haven’t talked for a while, you know, the usual, the neighbors, the price of rice and sugar, whether my fiancée liked the new dress that mom had sent her, and this and that, finally I asked her about what was happening in the politics. By the way my Mom is a N League supporter, but that support is limited only to TV, not beyond that. And since there has to be somebody in the family who has to contradict her or oppose her (dad gave that up a long time ago) therefore I am an MQM supporter, though just like her my support is limited to TV viewing as well. So normally, we are arguing with each other about their respective policies. Now, on the phone she told me that there was an extremely tense war of words going on between N league and MQM. She said that the whole family was sitting enjoying the standoff (just as usual) when things got really (and I mean really) dirty. Although she didn't tell me what was said, but all she told me was that it was all very embarrassing. Naturally, it was a cue for me to do some investigation. I didn’t have to dig deep (smiles). I opened my darling YouTube, punched in MQM vs. PMLN 29 December and came across Talat Husain’s TV program clip, which showed both party's uncensored exchange of embarrassing but funny exchange of words. I swear if ever there was a depiction of ROFLMAO, then I was precisely that. Extremely entertaining and hilarious I could exactly see why muma called that embarrassing. Talk about finding sex objects in shahbaz Sharif’s cell and altaf Husain’s hidden disease (I wonder what it could be? but given the circumstances I can only assume an STD). Wow, if ever they have had a chance of embarrassing the nation, then they just made full use of that opportunity. But it’s a good thing I believe. Good, because the nation has a chance of seeing the side of their politicians that they only knew of but they hadn’t seen in real.

But, then here I want to say a BIG F^($ U, not to Altaf Bhai, not to Mian Jee, not to the fiery Haider Bhai, not to Nisar Bhai, not to Abid Sher Ali bhai and certainly not to wasim akhter bhai, no, I want to give a BIG FU to our blessed Pakistani nation. This is what you get when you vote only because somebody belongs to your biradri and somebody who happens to speak your particular language or dialect or belongs to the same sect. You know what their reality is. But still you keep on voting and voting and voting and voting for the same old crap until the army takes over, and then you start blaming the army for all the mess. I know that the army has done wrong things in the last 60 years but our politicians haven’t given them any choice. If our political base had been strong in the beginning then all this mess wouldn’t have been created. And please don’t say that since we hardly vote that's why these same old faces keep coming again and again. Tell me, when you don’t have any shred of confidence in the voting system, when you know that the political parties would even make your dead grandpa vote, when you know that your vote will be replaced by a fraud vote, when you know that one person can in actuality vote at least three hundred times on the same election day, then tell me, would you waste your time going through the tedious polling process, standing in the burning summer heat and then having to face the smelly political activists. I certainly wouldn’t. And then these political parties. MQM. Huh. 150 % of Karachi and Hyderabad knows that how they collect "chanda" from the shops and businesses. All the eidis that you have to give (my father was asked to pay 2000 but refused point blank and since he doesn’t know of any culture or decency or sophistication when it comes to taking a stand (and a close affiliation with police ;)) therefore the SIC (MQM sector in charge) had no option but to leave him alone. The show of power they demonstrated on live TV, on the fateful day of May 12 is no secret. But still, people are still afraid to fully expose their tyranny. True, they have done a good deal of work for Karachi ( hats off to Mustufa Kamal) but their overall performance plus their love for " bori band laash", bank robberies, Bhai Log culture and Kalashnikov makes them wholly inadequate to even run for even a street election. These are the people who were created by the army. The army imported a Pakistani taxi driver by the name of Altaf Hussain to set up agitation movement against the Sindhis in Sindh, and created his own party and played on the resentment held by the innocent Mohajjirs. Then, as an Asia Times article reviewing Wilson John’s book” Karachi: A terror Capital in the making" says

” Keen on dividing Sindh on ethnic lines, General Zia ul-Haq allowed the MQM to form a network of professional militant bands with a hand in the drug trade of Karachi. In 1988, the city was rocked by unprecedented violence orchestrated by the army using the MQM in order to oust Benazir Bhutto from power.

By 1992, the army wanted to contain the growing power of Altaf Hussain and engineered a split in the MQM, thereby inaugurating a bloody turf war in Karachi. Gradually, the MQM's militant wing, the Black Cats, composed of 5,000-6,000 hitmen and notorious criminals rose in stature. Carjacking, land grabbing, illegal construction etc earned them a massive annual revenue and the selfsame techniques of violence were copied by sectarian outfits to kill Shiites. The MQM's extortion coffers overflowed and abetted the party's remarkable gains in successive elections. "

How ever, much I want to quote General Aslam Beg on army's role in creating MQM I want to turn over to Muslim League N. Created by General Zia (personally) in the same way Musharaf created Muslim League Q, The Sharif brothers were Zia's obvious, choice, loyal, entrepreneurial, and having a long feud with the PPP and especially Bhutto ( their medium sized steel foundry was nationalized by ZA Bhutto, thus making ZA Bhutto a lifelong enemy to the Sharif family). The Sharif brothers played on the religious sympathies of the people and got themselves comfy seats in the national assembly. Although they now err...regret... it, but to their credit, they don’t deny their past. Corrupt to the core, the Sharif brothers have grown from small steel foundry owners to one of the richest men in Pakistan. In corruption they are only out done by the Almighty God of Corruption President Asif Ali Zardari (whose father used to be a Cinema Owner and He used to be a bookie in the Karachi racecourse). I wonder how come these people even have the guts to show their faces to the nation. I really do believe what Haider Abbas Rizvi said about Nawaz Sharif and his family and what Choudhry Nisar said about Altaf Hussain and his family. I also believe that just like the artists and TV stars are subjected to media trials and paparazzi ( since they are public property) therefore these politicians who are even more of public property then petty TV actors, should have their daily lives critically scrutinized. Believe me if there was ever a need of a leader, then this is the moment when we really need one. We really do. It is time for revolution not elections. But for the revolution you need to look for change inside yourself, not the outside. Difficult isnt it J

Alas, I was supposed to write on what I experienced in this year and write some funny things and then about the top 10 songs and movies of 2010, but ...oh well. I'll do that tomorrow.

Byee