Pakistan's fears over growing Saudi-India ties allayed

[sonicboom]

Pakistan's fears over growing Saudi-India ties allayed

By Ghazanfar Ali Khan Arab News
Updated: Apr 3, 2010

The Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, held wide-ranging talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, on Saturday during which he expressed his concerns about India’s growing engagement in Afghanistan.

Qureshi, who is on an official two-day visit to the Kingdom on Prince Saud’s invitation, was briefed by the Saudi side about Singh’s visit to Riyadh earlier this month. In a news briefing alongside Pakistani Ambassador Umar Khan Alisherzai, Qureshi spoke very candidly on a range subjects including constitutional reforms in Pakistan, the OIC, Saudi-Pakistani relations, and Pakistani-US ties with special reference to the US military and economic aid.

Responding to a question, Qureshi revealed that Pakistan would be “receiving about $2.1 billion funds from the US before June” this year.

Asked about reports of India’s intentions to seek a Saudi role in resolving differences with Pakistan, he said he thought India may not have pursued this as it always discourages third-party involvement. He, however, said that he has no reservations if New Delhi wants to involve the Kingdom to bolster the prospect of peace. Qureshi clarified that there are only “four Indian consulates” in Afghanistan when asked about the opening of 14 Indian consulates in that country amid reports that they are being used for alleged espionage.

He clarified that Pakistan also has four diplomatic missions in Afghanistan. To this end, he said that Islamabad has taken up the issue of India’s intrusion in Afghanistan with both New Delhi and the United States. In fact, Pakistan is “more impacted” if any ugly incident takes place in Afghanistan, as the two countries share a huge border, said Qureshi when asked about the issue of Afghanistan, which figured prominently during the talks between Saudi officials and the Indian prime minister recently.

“Even today, we have some three million Afghan refugees inside our country, and … hence we want a stable, peaceful and friendly Afghanistan,” he said. The foreign minister, however, admitted that New Delhi had “old links” with Kabul, and wished a better relation between all countries of the region. To this end, he said that he discussed the “evolving Afghanistan situation” with Prince Saud in detail. The Kingdom and Pakistan have agreed that any action or interaction with regard to Afghanistan will be done by mutual consultations, he observed.

Referring to his talks with Prince Saud, he said that the two sides had “agreed to hold a session of political consultations in the near future.” The two sides also agreed to convene a joint ministerial meeting at a mutually convenient date in the near future,” said Qureshi, adding that Prince Saud had “accepted the invitation” to visit Islamabad shortly.

On reforms in Pakistan, he said that Pakistani lawmakers are on the verge of enacting sweeping constitutional changes. Support in parliament is virtually unanimous for a constitutional amendment that shifts the bulk of the powers to the prime minister, he added.

Asked about his recent visit to the US and the American commitments for more aid, Qureshi said he was satisfied with US pledges made during a daylong strategic conference in Washington. The US side, he said, has agreed to increase and streamline the delivery of military and economic aid and to “move from a relationship to a partnership.” While referring to his talks with US Secretary of States Hillary Rodham Clinton, he said he is hopeful of more US support including disbursement of a new $7.5-billion, five-year US aid package for Pakistan’s energy, water, agricultural and education sectors.

Long-standing Pakistani complaints about nearly $2.1 billion in promised but unpaid US reimbursements for Pakistan’s counterinsurgency operations had been largely resolved with the remaining money to be paid by the end of June, he said. He added that Washington was also committed to support Pakistan by “improving the efficiency and capacity of thermal stations, leveraging with the IMF and ensuring more access to the US markets for Pakistani exports. Qureshi left for the holy city of Madinah after addressing a huge crowd of Pakistani expatriates on Saturday evening.

Pakistan's fears over growing Saudi-India ties allayed - Arab News

 

[Hulk]

Fact of the matter is economy drives everything and if people still live in old world and accept everything to be driven by religion and friendship they will be looser. Pakistan should change its thinking.

 

[kidwaibhai]

Enough with members lecturing pakistanis on foriegn policy. Pakistan has very strong military to military relations with the saudi government. We also share the same strategic outlook when to the region.
These are only some of the reasons why we have good relations with the Saudi. Indian members need to stop looking out of the prism that countries are only friends with pakistan because they are either muslim or they are friends with pakistan because they are anti-india.

 

[IceCold]

Thats nonsense. Why would Pakistan fear growing ties between SA and India. Pakistan has its own importence in the Muslim world which cannot be neglected or negated by small occurences such as these.

 

[Aamir Hussain]

Does anyone remember the name of the last Arab Head of the State who visited Pakistan in the last -- say, three years????

Just wanted to do do a quick check that is all.

 

[PAKFA]

Pakistan don't have to fear , It is just a mutual business.

 

[T-Faz]

Trust me, we are much better off without Saudi Arabia. They are a nuisance for us in a sense that we have to uphold their stature and ideologies only because of Mecca and Medina being there.

Also the indians being happy, US snubbed you, Turkey snubbed you, Iran snubbed you, Uk snubbed you. What more do you want.

You can have Saudi Arabia, good riddance for us. We are getting closer with the real upholder of Islam, Iran and Turkey.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Many may not digest but all of your friends are our good friends too, but israel, russia,france, uk, sweden,canada all are partially or fully anti pakistan.

this must be a worry as US, CHINA AND S.ARABIA , ALL HAVE IMPROVED POLITICAL N ECONMIC RELATIONS WITH INDIA.

 

[ameer219]

Trust me, we are much better off without Saudi Arabia. They are a nuisance for us in a sense that we have to uphold their stature and ideologies only because of Mecca and Medina being there.
.

Sorry to burst your bubble but this is completely false,and you are being blinded by how much KSA have helped us.

Pakistan has received more aid from Saudi Arabia than any country outside the Arab world since the 1960s.eg. Kashmir earthquake 2003

Another example, in May 1998 when Pakistan was deciding whether to respond to India’s test of five nuclear weapons, the Saudis promised 50,000 barrels per day of free oil to help the Pakistanis cope with the economic sanctions that might be triggered by a counter test.

So to call them a nuisance, is kinda bad, as KSA has always treated us a unique partner

 

[IceCold]

Many may not digest but all of your friends are our good friends too, but israel, russia,france, uk, sweden,canada all are partially or fully anti pakistan.

this must be a worry as US, CHINA AND S.ARABIA , ALL HAVE IMPROVED POLITICAL N ECONMIC RELATIONS WITH INDIA.

Apart from Israel and that too because of the obvious reasons, can you back you claim w.r.t others or is it just that you Indians like to sometimes shoot it out of your *** rather then mouth.

Developing improved economic relations does not mean these countries will have a shift when it comes to their relation with Pakistan.

 

[RameeX Xaved]

Many may not digest but all of your friends are our good friends too, but israel, russia,france, uk, sweden,canada all are partially or fully anti pakistan.

this must be a worry as US, CHINA AND S.ARABIA , ALL HAVE IMPROVED POLITICAL N ECONMIC RELATIONS WITH INDIA.

until you have the money
the day you fall in economic crises all your so-called good relations will go down the drain.
this doesnt go with pakistan because even though we are not economically strong, we get all the support and help from our muslim nations even though we dont have $$$ to give them in return.
but does this imply on you? the answer is a big NO because you make materialistic relations i.e on the basis of money but we make relations on the basis of muslim unity.

 

[T-Faz]

Many may not digest but all of your friends are our good friends too, but israel, russia,france, uk, sweden,canada all are partially or fully anti pakistan.

this must be a worry as US, CHINA AND S.ARABIA , ALL HAVE IMPROVED POLITICAL N ECONMIC RELATIONS WITH INDIA.

Well what i wrote about india getting snubbed was actually reported by india themselves but I do not know where you bring this partially or fully anti pakistan list. Israel is only due to the religion and their founder David Ben Guiron personally called Jinnah to start formal relations. To this day Israel wants relations with us and have allayed this through their lobbies.

On russia, you are correct but they blame their fall and loss in Afghanistan on us. France, Uk and canada are good with us though, not friends just someone who might work with us on mutual benefits.

 

[Chanakyaa]

If u can think, the economic relations are the source of our money. The $200 to be spent on defence is sourced from the same money.

its dollar and dollar all the way.

 

[T-Faz]

Sorry to burst your bubble but this is completely false,and you are being blinded by how much KSA have helped us.

Pakistan has received more aid from Saudi Arabia than any country outside the Arab world since the 1960s.eg. Kashmir earthquake 2003

Another example, in May 1998 when Pakistan was deciding whether to respond to India’s test of five nuclear weapons, the Saudis promised 50,000 barrels per day of free oil to help the Pakistanis cope with the economic sanctions that might be triggered by a counter test.

So to call them a nuisance, is kinda bad, as KSA has always treated us a unique partner

The way I look at it is that they need us more than we need their $$$, we provide military assistance and will back them in a case of any attack on them.

Also what do you mean outside the arab world, US is our best donor. And the key word is promised in the barrels for sanctions, I read the news too and seems like if we were given these barrells then Nawaz sold it for a profit to other countries.

 

[karan.1970]

Thats nonsense. Why would Pakistan fear growing ties between SA and India. Pakistan has its own importence in the Muslim world which cannot be neglected or negated by small occurences such as these.

I think Pakistan needs to step out of the mode of being important in the Muslim world to being Important in the world to realize its potential..