Pakistan and Arab World: Security Cooperation

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One Pakistani soldier and ex-Chief of Staff has a decision to make, thanks to our contributor Hamid Hussain:

Pakistani Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif retired on 29 November 2016 handing over command to General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Four weeks later, Saudi Arabia sent a special plane to Lahore to bring Raheel for a meeting in Saudi Arabia. Even before his retirement, rumors have been circulating that he will be given some role in ongoing conflict in Yemen.

His comment:

We don’t know the final decision of General ® Raheel Sharif about his role in Saudi led coalition. I just put down my thoughts about the issue with the hope that he will seriously re-consider his options. I don’t know if any officer has communicated his thoughts about this issue but almost all officers are against involvement of Pakistan in any foreign entanglement.

See attachment (4pgs) for more details.

[davidbfpo]

General Raheel Sharif, the former Pakistani army chief, will now head the Saudi Arabia-led 39-nation military coalition formed to serve as a platform for security cooperation and combat terrorism.

The decision to appoint Gen (retd) Raheel, who retired in November 2016, was taken after taking the incumbent government into confidence, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said yesterday.

Link:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistans-ex-army-chief-joins-saudi-arabia-led-military-coalition/articleshow/56391182.cms?

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An update from Hamid Hussain, our indirect contributor, following an exchange with an anonymous, serving Pakistani Army officer - so giving some insight into how one of them views the world. Plus Hamid's response.

See the attachment.

[davidbfpo]

An interesting title in an on-line news site: 'Asia's quiet superpower: Pakistan Army’s teetering balance between Saudi and Iran'.

When I first read the (below) extract I laughed; the Pakistani Army has not won a single war and has followed at times a strategy of embracing the Afghan Taliban and some of its own terrorists. Hardly a prospectus that IMHO would encourage any Arab ruler to embrace them.

Anyway the extract:

With a Pakistani general leading a Saudi-led terror fighting force, Islamabad has the chance once again to be the region’s final guarantor.
When one thinks of the Pakistan Army, one does not instinctively think of a force that is relevant to conflicts in the Middle East. Yet increasingly – and without actually being involved in any operations - it is the most influential military in the region.

Link:http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns...iran-903452261

The author Kamal Alam is a Pakistani Visiting Fellow @ RUSI (London) and his slim bio is:https://rusi.org/people/alam

Have I missed the deployment of troops, planes and more from Pakistan to the region? I'd wager there are more Western "infidels" in situ than Pakistani military. The author though writes:

After the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army, and Iran’s rising influence across the Middle East, the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, have looked to Pakistan as the final guarantor.

[davidbfpo]

Two "lurkers", both SME, on this topic have provided comments.

A general reply:

The author has overstretched his imagination. If we believe the author that Pakistan is teacher of all Arab armies then utter and most humiliating defeats at the hands of Israelis does not speak well for the teaching skills of the teacher. Where did he get the information that majority of military was in favor of joining the Yemen adventure? I have interacted with a large number of officers of all ranks including many close to Raheel Sharif on this topic. They could not say it openly but privately they communicated with me that majority of officers were against it. Of course Shia officers were pretty acidic in their response. The case of soldiers is a bit different. They mainly come from the conservative, rural areas and their view is shaped by holy places in Saudi Arabia and they may see it as defending holy places.

From the cited article above:

....the Pakistan army is the only non-sectarian army in the Muslim world - it has had Shia Hazara chief of staffs, Sunnis and several Christian generals.

Riposte:

During General Mussharraf’s time, a number of senior officers were Shia including some Corps Commanders and the GOC of the Special Service Group (SSG, a SOF unit). Many participated in operations against militants. However, since then Shia numbers have dwindled in senior ranks. Among the rank and file of the Northern Light Infantry that recruits from northern areas with significant Shia population this unit has a good number of Shia soldiers. Christians are only a handful and to my knowledge now no one with now holds a senior post. A two star Christian Major General Noel recently retired. I don’t know much about their numbers in Air Force and Navy.

The second lurker pointed to Shashank Joshi's (also of RUSI) commentary on the Indian and Pakistani role in the Middle East:https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-in...ce-middle-east

He notes that:

Today, Pakistan’s presence is smaller but still includes a squadron of pilots at the UAE’s Al Ain Airbase and two brigades in Saudi Arabia.

Curiously the current IISS 'Military Balance' does not show the two brigades. Perhaps the soldiers serve within Saudi units?

Someone knows how to needle Pakistan in the UAE:

...Emirati minister immediately after Pakistan’s parliament voted against involvement (in Yemen) in 2015. Pakistan would pay a ‘heavy price’. This is perhaps one reason why, on 26 January, Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, watched the Indian military parade through New Delhi for the country’s Republic Day. Al-Nahyan, who was invited as chief guest, had been greeted at the airport, against protocol, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

[davidbfpo]

Ahmed Rashid, the author has this BBC News article that starts with:

The appointment of Pakistan's former army chief General Raheel Sharif to head a 39-country Saudi-led military alliance of Muslim countries to combat terrorism has set off intense debate in Pakistan and in the region.

After months of silence from Gen Sharif, Pakistan's defence ministry has now said that both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have come to an agreement on his posting.

(He ends with) There has been longstanding criticism from politicians and the media that Pakistan has been ignoring Iran, even though it is an important neighbour. So far Gen Sharif's appointment has only increased that criticism and created considerable unease as to the future course of Pakistan's foreign policy.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39525449

Hamid Hussain has a longer commentary, with several intriguing parts, e.g. the Israeli-Saudi relationship, on the attachment.

[davidbfpo]

A curious update from RUSI by a Pakistani analyst: 'The Pakistani Army's Defence Diplomacy: More Action, Fewer Word' and sub-titled:

With a renewed defence diplomatic effort in the Gulf and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s army is determined to dispel misconceptions and address allegations made by both adversaries and allies.

Why curious? This passage helps to explain:

Some of the key charges against the country were that Pakistan’s actions did not match its words. Islamabad, critics – including the US – claimed was not ‘coming clean’ about its policies in Afghanistan, that its relationship with the Saudis lacked transparency and that it was pursuing a hostile stance towards Iran.Bajwa, who took over in November 2016 from Sharif, has sought to dispel these claims. Since taking over, he has set his eyes firmly on strengthening Pakistan’s relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Iran, talking straight about Afghanistan to the Americans and not misleading India over false promises of conflict resolution.
His first three foreign visits were to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and he has now announced a forthcoming visit to Tehran.
(Finally) All told, Pakistan’s army is now moving away from its previous stance of purely working in support of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

Link:https://rusi.org/commentary/pakistan...on-fewer-words
This seems to be a diplomatic sequence that aims to please everyone, both Arab nations and Iran. So Pakistan is not committed to really help "when the chips are down".

There are comments on Afghanistan, so they are posted elsewhere.