muse
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Excellent! - so lets get past the polite stuff to the heart of contention - and that too, is an ancient political struggle, namely political survival of which the created Sunni and Shi'ah rubbish is an example.
The political and religious authority of the Wahabi of Saudi Arabia seek to position themselves as the sole representatives of the Sunni and as such, seek to project "the truth" as they understand it, of Islam, outward, out to the world.
The Shi'ah clergy of Iran, recalling the Safavieh religio-nationalism of again, the past political struggles, seek to position themselves as the soile exclusive representative of all Muslims, and to do this, identify themselves with the most important "political and geo-political" issue among Muslims, the plight of Palestine and the occupation of Jerusalem - and whereas the Wahabi as the imagined representatives of the Sunni project "the truth" (as they understand it) of Islam, outward, the Iranian clergy projects "the truth" (as they understand it) of Islam, inward, towards the world of Islam.
Seeing the Iranian revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy, the princes of the House of Saud, fearing for their own throne, should Muslims in their kingdom come to think that the Monarchy is arachaic, "unIslamic" appendage of jahiliyah, energized the Wahabi establishment to train thousands of radicals and to broadcast them and their ideology across the Muslim world, taking a page from the Iranian clergy, they began to project inwards towards the world of Islam. They also, with support from Western powers, primarily the US and the UK, instigated Iraq's Saddam Hussain to wage a 8 year war on upon Iran, resulting in the deaths of more than 0ne million Muslims on both sides.
Where OUGHT Pakistan position herself in this gigantic mess? Pakistan's appeal must be to conscience. Pakistan is a unique country, a Sunni majority, but Pakistan is also the second largest Shi'ah country, whose largest religious minority is Christian, primarily Catholic - When we say Pakistan's appeal must be one based on conscience, we mean that it articulates our conviction that all who say, La Illaha Illala wa Muhammad ar Rasoul Allah, are Muslims, and no one, absolutely no one, can challenge that relationship between The Creator and His creature, doesn't mean we can't debate, dissent or challenge the theosophy or philosophical constructs, just that we will call a spade a spade, so to speak, and declare that this struggle has little to do with Islam and God and His Mercy and more to do with politics of national ambition played out on a global scale.
. Arms sales is a neutral policy of US and not a political statement. You know this; they sell weapons to Arabs and Jews at the same time; they sell weapons to Columbians and Brazilians at the same time etc. France does the same when it sells you stuff and sells us as well. Its simple business post-Cold war. Russia keeps its weapons off your hands simply because we're able to fill that requirement of theirs ourselves and well.. its considerably more sincere in long-term friendships. 
(c. 31 December 695–18 July 715) was an Umayyad general who, at the age of 17, began the conquest of the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River (now a part of Pakistan) for the Umayyad Caliphate. He was born in the city of Taif (in modern day Saudi Arabia). Qasim's conquest of Sindh and Punjab laid the foundations of Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent.
