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Pakistan Grapples with the Middle Eastern Fault-Lines as Gen. Raheel Takes Command of the Saudi-Led “Muslim NATO”
Global Village Space
James M. Dorsey |
With no troops to command and a Riyadh-based skeleton staff, General Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s recently retired top commander, appeared to slide into a cushy job as commander of a 41-nation, the Saudi-led military alliance created to fight terrorism.
In fact, the general’s new job is everything but straightforward. He has taken on a task that is likely to require diplomatic tap-dancing if he is to succeed in putting flesh on the alliance’s skeleton and ensure that his native Pakistan is not enmeshed in the bitter dispute between Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan’s closest allies, and Iran, the South Asian state’s neighbor.
Complicating things for General Sharif is the fact that Pakistan is home to the world’s largest Shiite Muslim minority, who account for up to a quarter of its population. Pakistani critics warned that General Sharif’s appointment risked involving Pakistan not only in the Middle East’s seemingly intractable conflicts but also in Sunni-Shiite Muslim sectarian strife.
Read more: Nasser Janjua thinks Raheel Sharif will bring unity among ‘Muslim world’
Muslim Coalition or War Against Yemen?
General Sharif’s appointment of what is officially the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, dubbed the Muslim world’s NATO, promises to give the group the credibility it needs: a non-Arab commander from one of the world’s most populous Muslim countries who commanded not only one of the Muslim world’s largest militaries but also one that possesses nuclear weapons.
Yet, General Sharif’s problems start with the alliance’s name. The alliance, announced hastily by Saudi Arabia two years ago without prior consultations with all of its alleged members, has yet to adopt a common definition of what constitutes terrorism.
General Sharif’s appointment of what is officially the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, dubbed the Muslim world’s NATO, promises to give the group the credibility it needs.
Members also have yet to reach agreement on what the alliance’s priorities are: Iran, viewed by Saudi Arabia as the foremost threat, or jihadist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Many members, including Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, are moreover weary of being roped into Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen that has allowed Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to emerge stronger than ever.
Read more: Pakistan has approved Gen. Raheel’s new job: Are we digging a hole for ourselves?
Pakistan’s parliament rejected, in 2015, a Saudi request to contribute troops to the war in Yemen. More recently, on the eve of General Sharif’s appointment, Pakistan agreed to send 10,000 combat troops to the Saudi side of the kingdom’s border with Yemen.
Read full article
Pakistan Grapples with the Middle Eastern Fault-Lines as Gen. Raheel Takes Command of the Saudi-Led “Muslim NATO”
Global Village Space
James M. Dorsey |
With no troops to command and a Riyadh-based skeleton staff, General Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s recently retired top commander, appeared to slide into a cushy job as commander of a 41-nation, the Saudi-led military alliance created to fight terrorism.
In fact, the general’s new job is everything but straightforward. He has taken on a task that is likely to require diplomatic tap-dancing if he is to succeed in putting flesh on the alliance’s skeleton and ensure that his native Pakistan is not enmeshed in the bitter dispute between Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan’s closest allies, and Iran, the South Asian state’s neighbor.
Complicating things for General Sharif is the fact that Pakistan is home to the world’s largest Shiite Muslim minority, who account for up to a quarter of its population. Pakistani critics warned that General Sharif’s appointment risked involving Pakistan not only in the Middle East’s seemingly intractable conflicts but also in Sunni-Shiite Muslim sectarian strife.
Read more: Nasser Janjua thinks Raheel Sharif will bring unity among ‘Muslim world’
Muslim Coalition or War Against Yemen?
General Sharif’s appointment of what is officially the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, dubbed the Muslim world’s NATO, promises to give the group the credibility it needs: a non-Arab commander from one of the world’s most populous Muslim countries who commanded not only one of the Muslim world’s largest militaries but also one that possesses nuclear weapons.
Yet, General Sharif’s problems start with the alliance’s name. The alliance, announced hastily by Saudi Arabia two years ago without prior consultations with all of its alleged members, has yet to adopt a common definition of what constitutes terrorism.
General Sharif’s appointment of what is officially the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, dubbed the Muslim world’s NATO, promises to give the group the credibility it needs.
Members also have yet to reach agreement on what the alliance’s priorities are: Iran, viewed by Saudi Arabia as the foremost threat, or jihadist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Many members, including Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, are moreover weary of being roped into Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen that has allowed Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to emerge stronger than ever.
Read more: Pakistan has approved Gen. Raheel’s new job: Are we digging a hole for ourselves?
Pakistan’s parliament rejected, in 2015, a Saudi request to contribute troops to the war in Yemen. More recently, on the eve of General Sharif’s appointment, Pakistan agreed to send 10,000 combat troops to the Saudi side of the kingdom’s border with Yemen.
Read full article
Pakistan Grapples with the Middle Eastern Fault-Lines as Gen. Raheel Takes Command of the Saudi-Led “Muslim NATO”
