Imran Khan must choose between Saudi Arabia and Iran: Arab News

[Śakra]

KSA is a much better choice. They employ your people, build mosques and schools in your country, hire your soldiers, loan you money, etc. What exactly does iran do, refuse to sell you oil? Refuse to support you? Drop artillery on your soil?

 

[El Sidd]

By the looks of it. We have plenty of cannon fodder to go around.

Bidding will start at 1.5 million per head.

Plenty of arabistanis, farastaneez, turkistaniz for everyone.

Pakistanis are neutral.

Make a bid. Collect them at gwadar.

Hear ye hear ye

 

[Mr ambassador]

Pakistan reply :

We are OIC member and have respect for sovereignty of all member states. Pakistan will stand with OIC members in tough times and will continue play it's role to remove gaps among the member states for peace, prosperity and integrity of OIC states.

 

[Gibbs]

If Saudis and Iranians cannot chose between a Hindu and Muslim nation we don't need to chose between 2 Muslim nations.

Both Iranians and Saudi's though outwardly look fundamentalist are more erudite when it comes to strategic relations, Hence why they don't get blinded by religious dogma like Pakistani's do.. Saudi's will always give it's relationship with India precedent over Pakistan, Cos as far as economics go Pakistan is no match for India, Likewise Iranians will always Choose atheist China and Hindu India.. While Pakistani's will keep dreaming on about global Muslim botherhood forced fed to them by Saudi funded religious schools to send their troops to do the dirty job of Arabs and their ordinary people to clean up the streets

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Okay I am going to spell out my thoughts and be guided by just what I percieve as Pakistan's self interest. But before I go there let lay some groundwork.

1. Saudia Arabia/GCC ~ I include both as from the outside perspective they all operate on the same wavelength. This region provides Pakistan huge figure in workers remittances. Indeed these remittances are vital to the Pakistani economy.
2. However are these remittances based on how Pakistan performs with KSA/GCC? In other words is the remittances bonanaza contingent how good a friend Pakistan is to KSA/GCC?
3. We can test this by looking at India. That country does not tout or act as KSA/GCC's ally or bestest friend. However India recieves three times the remittances Pakistan does from KSA/GCC. The biggest source of foreign exchange India gets is from KSA/GCC. How so?
4. This means that KSA/GCC reward India far more then Pakistan despite all the big talk of friends and allies. Surely if KSA/GCC beneficience was based on friends or being allies why is India getting three times more benefit then Pakistan?
5. India has never been asked or never has offered any military help to KSA/GCC but that despite that is the biggest beneficiary of KSA/GCC largesse.
   
6. This means Pakistan acting like brother or a hired gun has not made it a favourite of KSA/GCC when it comes to the benefits. India has walked away as favourite despite not doing any favours or bragging about being 'brothers'.

Now let me move over to our neighbour on the west -

1. Iran ~ Afghanistan represents a security threat to Pakistan. Kabul has become a India and US base to be used to cause grief to Pakistan. Pakistan's entire wetern border is source of instability and threat mostly coming from Indian sponsored activity from Afghanistan.
2. Afghanistan is a landlocked country. Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia and China literally hold the key to Afghanistan. Central Asia is under Russian influence. If Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China were on the same page they could squeeze Afghanistan like ripe tomato and send the innards splashing out. Meaning India and USA could be sucked out of that country and Afghanistan would squarely fall at the feet of these four.
3. Iran has huge energy reserves. Pakistan could work to begin laying the pipeline to secure permanent supply of gas and down the road oil which would fit in nicely with CPEC.

Therefore as strategic move I would suggest Pakistan begins the move to Iran if indeed it is serious in moving out of the US dominated arc. KSA/GCC are part of the American alliance. Whereas Iran, Russia and China are on the other side of the camp. Thus to align with the emerging new dynamic Pakistan must begin to reconfigure it's policy with Iran based on the points I have made about Afghanistan, economy and US strategic alliances in the region.

indian remittances are 3 times more than Pak due to its skilled labour force and educated diaspora in GCC..

While Paks in GCC are either money laundering scoundrels who own properties worth dozens of billions... the educated middle class or the mostly Truckers,construction workers,Dumper,crane and other heavy machinery operators.

 

[Hrk19]

Despite that guy blocked me on Twitter when I criticized his liberal/sickular views 3 years ago, I started to see some sanity in his approach and weltanschauung especially when it comes to dealing with other countries, communities and groups. Pakistan showed no hesitation and refused unanimously inside its parliament any initiative to sending symbolic troops to Saudi Arabia just to please the Iranians. Needless to say, the Pakistani media has been on fire against Saudi Arabia in different occasions and god knows whoever behind that continuous smear campaign on KSA. Meanwhile, media in Saudi has never targeted Pakistan or even addressed its unfortunate decision regarding Yemen. I guess things have changed and this article is as I recall the first one to address and direct a message to Pakistan in Saudi media.

dont worry mate.
the thing is that the media is mostly owned by shia and so called liberals.
this probably started during zardari's regime.
also,most pakistanis would choose saudi over iran as we are not stupid enough to forget what iranians did to us (kulbushan, uzair etc)
i mean look how iranians ditched us when sanctions were lifted and came running asking for our help when sanctions came back.
so take the pakistani media with a grain of salt (the ones that are always anti saudi).

 

[Riz]

If Arabs can be friends of india why cant we be friend of iran? We should keep ourselves natural, we should not involve in shia wahabi game plan.. We have huge shia population, any saving slogan of umma will be suicidal for us..

 

[Hrk19]

If Arabs can be friends of india why cant we be friend of iran? We should keep ourselves natural, we should not involve in shia wahabi game plan.. We have huge shia population, any saving slogan of umma will be suicidal for us..

The shias dont consider sunnis muslims.
when they deny this they usually are speaking in taqiya which is lying about religion to get benefits
so dont trust iran,they will stab you when you least expect it.
align with saudi without being hostile to iran and keep a close eye on iran still to make sure they dont do anything fishy.

 

[Kambojaric]

Neither! The onus is on them to give Pakistan such benefits that favoring them becomes a tangible possibility. As it stands both have offered Pakistan peanuts and expect the full force of the Pakistani army behind them. The day these two start taking an interest in Pakistan's interest (i.e. not voting against Pakistan at international venues such as FATF like the Saudi's did, or providing Indian spies with backchannel access to Pakistan's most vulnerable parts like Iran did with Chabahar), they can forget Pakistan taking them seriously now. Pakistan has been showing more maturity as far as its foreign policy is concerned in the past couple of years. The breakthrough moment in my opinion was the refusal to get invovled in Saudi's conflict in Yemen.

 

[B@KH]

The Infidels first tried to extinguish the Islamic Revolution thru Wars and Sanctions and perished millions of supporters of Islamic Revolution.

after failing in wars and sanctions, the infidels now think that Islamic Revolution will die out itself
while they themselves are already on the death bed.
Whatever they wish bad for Islamic Revolution it happens to them.

Caplitalists, Monarchists and their allies are ultimate losers without any doubt.

Pakistan and IRAN are so much tightly knitted that it took british 161 years to launch IK in Pakistan. It is so much a big dilemma for the wahabai poisoned New generation that they fail to understand why our national anthem was written in Persian and why the sufi saints were propagating Wilayat of Imam Ali a.s. all over the continent.

The Enemies of Islamic Revolution are doomed to fail due to their bad luck as always.

 

[El Sidd]

The Infidels first tried to extinguish the Islamic Revolution thru Wars and Sanctions and perished millions of supporters of Islamic Revolution.

after failing in wars and sanctions, the infidels now think that Islamic Revolution will die out itself while they themselves are already on the death bed. Whatever they wish bad for Islamic Revolution it is happening to them.

Caplitalists, Monarchists and their allies are ultimate losers without any doubt.

Pakistan and IRAN are so much tightly knitted that it took british 161 years to launch IK in Pakistan. It is so much a big dilemma for the wahabai poisoned New generation that they fail to understand why our national anthem was written in Persian and why the sufi saints were propagating Wilayat of Imam Ali a.s. all over the continent.

The Enemies of Islamic Revolution are doomed to fail due to their bad luck as always.

Taaliyaaan !!

 

[Kambojaric]

I prefer neutrality... But if we have to have to chose with no other option... Then ...

I say we choose Saudi Arabia but don't antagonize the Iranians.

Neutral stance but slightly tilted towards Saudi.

Iranians have never historically stood up for Pakistan.

Iran gave Pakistan free oil in the 65 war and also Iranian airspace and air strips were open for Pakistani jets to land and and get refuelled. They also provided spare parts to us when the US embargoed Pakistan.

"Historically, Iran played a vital role in the security of Pakistan. This is particularly true for critical moments in Pakistan’s history, including two major wars with India. Iran extended uninhibited support to Pakistan in these wars. The support from Tehran came in the form of military as well as logistic supplies. During 1965 war, Iran provided medical and oil supplies which were over and above the crucial purchase and provision of 90 F-86 Mk.6 Sabre jet fighters from West Germany. The military support of fighters counter-balanced the United
States embargo on defence supplies to Islamabad(Hali, 2014)."

Iran’s Nuclear Agreement: Rethinking Pakistan’s, Middle East Policy by Iram Khalid (University of the Punjab), Aiysha Safdar (Pakistan Navy War College),
South Asian Studies, A Research Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 1, January – June 2016, pp. 347 – 366

Sure the post 79 Iran is a different ball game, but lets not throw out statements like they have never stood up for Pakistan. They have but when Pakistan was led by actual leaders. In fact these old relations should remind Pakistan of its importance and how the onus should be on the Saudi's and Iranians to accomodate Pakistani interests and not vice versa.

 

[Max]

We will not be hired gun again for anyone.. never..

If Saudi think they can take advantage of our economic situation, they are wrong.

We will remain nuetral in two Mullahs war as they are in case of Pak and Bharat.

 

[niaz]

Iran is our neighbour and Saudi Arabia is a long-time friend. Numerous interlocking interests and domestic and external relations mean that Pakistan must exercise extreme caution in relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran and her neutrality in the intra-Arab conflicts. We don’t have to choose between the two. We must be friends with both the countries.

Pakistan has enjoyed good relations with Saudi Arabia for decades while the kingdom has been a major donor during our economic crisis; which means that Saudis are a dependable ally.

On the other hand, Iran is our neighbour. Our religious and cultural links go back more than two thousand years to the Achaemenid times. Shah of Iran was also the first head of State to Visit Pakistan.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1272879

Besides, have we forgotten the military help that Iran provided us following the 1965 war when Pakistan was under sanctions from the US? Are we ungrateful ‘SOB’s’ that forget the nation that helped us during our hour of need?

"During the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, the F-86 became the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force. The Canadair Mark-6 Sabres (quantity 90), acquired from ex-Luftwaffe stocks via Iran were, the once again the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force's day fighter operations during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War."

http://www.pafsqk.yolasite.com/f-86-sabre.php

Regimes come & go but your neighbours are there for keeps. Can we afford to live with the hostile neighbour on the North (Afghanistan), East (India) as well as on the West? It therefore extremely unwise to alienate Iran.

Islamabad can possibly use her good offices to act as a bridge between Riyadh and Tehran. Therefore, for the sake of her communal harmony and western border security, strict ‘Neutrality’ is the best course of action for Pakistan.

 

[Morpheus]

Where is all the "sticking one's nose where it doesn't belong" stuff. The most hypocritical creatures on this planet are Saudis.