Media hype and some irresponsible statements from official quarters have created a storm over Pakistan-Saudi Arabia mutual defence agreement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prine Mohammad bin Salman signed the pact in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Islamabad and Riyadh have made it clear that the pact aims to strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.
But social media hype fuelled by some ministers in Pakistan and PML-N supporters has created unnecessary speculation.
Social Media Hyper and Ministers’ Statements:
Statements by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah have created a storm. Both PML-N hawks seem making political point-scoring at home over the pact without fully recognising its sensitivity.
Both the countries issued the official statements on the pact. Analysts say only their foreign offices should respond to further queries. Yet, the ministers and the ruling PML-N’s social media team went ahead to take the ‘responsibility’. They posted hundreds of tweets and dozens of statements on the subject. They tried to link Pakistan Army’s responsibility for the security of the Haramain Sharifain to a broader alliance against Israel. Some even posted fake videos claiming that Pakistan Army personnel were departing from the airport to provide security for the holy cities.
Rana Sanaullah ‘discovered’ different angles of the pact, portraying Pakistan as a self-styled superpower that will take ‘notice’ of any aggression against any Muslim country in the world. He did not stop here. He believes any attack by India on Pakistan will be considered an attack on Saudi Arabia. Since no official details of the agreement are available, the world, particularly Indian media, is trying to link it to a nuclear deal between the two Muslim countries. The narrative suits the BJP government. But, Rana Sana further fueled curiosity, claiming that some aspects are too secret to discuss openly.
Khawaja Asif goes even further. During a TV talk, the man from Sialkot suggested that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities could be made available to Riyadh under the new framework.
Dawn has quoted him saying: “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement.”
Foreign Office:
The situation and confusion at last forced the Pakistan Foreign Office to clarify the three fronts:
FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan denied any change in Pakistan nuclear deterrence policy. He said it was not extending to any other country. Khan made it clear the pact was not against Israel. He avoided giving direct answer to query about Pakistan army personnel deployment in Saudi Arab.
Author: Iftikhar Alam
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