Pakistan to station army contingent in Saudi Arabia: ISPR

[Varun]

A Pakistan army contingent will be stationed in Saudi Arabia on a "training and advisory mission", a press release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

The announcement followed a meeting between Saudi Arabia's Ambassador, Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki, and Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa earlier today at General Headquarters Rawalpindi.

During their meeting, Gen Bajwa and Al-Maliki discussed matters of "mutual interest", including the regional security situation, the ISPR press statement said.

The contingent will join Pakistani troops that are already stationed in Saudi Arabia and "will not be deployed outside the Kingdom", the statement read.

Pakistan already has around 1,180 troops in Saudi Arabia under a 1982 bilateral agreement. The deployed troops are mostly serving in training and advisory roles, according to a report.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share strong military ties. Pakistan is one of the 41 members of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) that is being headed by a former army chief, the retired Gen Raheel Sharif. The military alliance was formally launched by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman last year.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1389590

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[Syed1]

Don't see a problem with it as long as we don't have our boys fighting someone else's war. Also it is in Pak Army doctrine to defend Makkah and Medina if and when the need arises.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

lucrative jobs all round... from top to bottom. These tours are popular and very sought after.

 

[Slog]

Good decision.

 

[DeadBall]

Don't see a problem with it as long as we don't have our boys fighting someone else's war. Also it is in Pak Army doctrine to defend Makkah and Medina if and when the need arises.

Just hope we can extend our help (militarily) to our Palestinian brothers and sisters some day since all the problems at home have been resolved.

 

[Syed1]

Just hope we can extend our help (militarily) to our Palestinian brothers and sisters some day since all the problems at home have been resolved.

Well its not the army's role to "fix the problems at home".... if they get involved then liberals cry that army is stepping out of their boundary. We have had continuous democracy for 10 years and to be honest Musharraf's troubled years seem a lot better than these. Take a look at the state of the economy. This is what happens when you let looting and plundering politicians take the reigns.

 

[Slog]

Just hope we can extend our help (militarily) to our Palestinian brothers and sisters some day since all the problems at home have been resolved.

as Muslims we have a duty to protect Islamic holy site not Arabs

 

[Pakistanian]

Pakistan Akbar! Our new slogan!

 

[GLORY OF '92]

lucrative jobs all round... from top to bottom. These tours are popular and very sought after.

Yes my cousin was there for 2 years and saved up a small fortune by Pakistani standards. Easy job too just training the Saudis with 4 days a week off.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Well its not the army's role to "fix the problems at home".... if they get involved then liberals cry that army is stepping out of their boundary. We have had continuous democracy for 10 years and to be honest Musharraf's troubled years seem a lot better than these. Take a look at the state of the economy. This is what happens when you let looting and plundering politicians take the reigns.

No no democracy is essential. Let the politicians destroy us but God forbid the army get involved.

Ludicrous mindset. The Army is the only functioning institution yet people want a bunch of morons in charge.

 

[DeadBall]

Well its not the army's role to "fix the problems at home".... if they get involved then liberals cry that army is stepping out of their boundary. We have had continuous democracy for 10 years and to be honest Musharraf's troubled years seem a lot better than these. Take a look at the state of the economy. This is what happens when you let looting and plundering politicians take the reigns.

As I personally said before we need a danda system. We are a laato ke bhooth peopl and not yet ready for democracy. I thought before all the dynasties wnt after Musharraf he was doing a really good job. Of course absolute power corrupts but he was the least corrupt of them all.

As someone mentioned in the other thread, we need a progressive dictator to sort out our issues but that isn't happening anytime soon.

 

[DeadBall]

as Muslims we have a duty to protect Islamic holy site not Arabs

Or where more profit lies as has been the case in all conflicts ever in the history of wars. The thing is we have a very illiterate and stupid qaum that can be manipulated according to the will of these Mullahs.

 

[PakLFC]

Zaid Hamid got his wish!

 

[MenInG]

Senator Babar raises objections over army deployment in Saudi Arabia

Senator Farhatullah Babar on Friday raised objections over the army's deployment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), terming the development as "tantamount to bypassing the parliament".

Drawing the attention of the House to the matter, Senator Babar called the deployment to Saudi an issue of public importance. He said he had also given an adjournment notice to discuss the issue.

Earlier on Thursday, the army announced that it was deploying troops in Saudi Arabia under an existing bilateral security pact. The army made it clear that its contingent in KSA will take part in training and advice mission. “In continuation of ongoing Pak-KSA bilateral security cooperation, a Pakistan Army contingent is being sent to KSA on training and advice mission,” the Inter-Services Public Relations had announced after a meeting between Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki at the General Headquarters.

Referring to the ISPR announcement, he said that the development came after a meeting between the COAS and the Saudi ambassador which was preceded by a recent three-day visit — the second in two months — "quietly" undertaken to Saudi Arabia.

He maintained that the number of troops being sent is unknown but the disclosure that it will be less than a division "indicated that almost a full-fledged army division is being sent to the Kingdom".

Going after the Foreign Office, the senator termed its condemnations against Houthi missile attacks as "nuanced statements", alleging that the FO has been paving the way and providing false justifications for the development.

"The deliberately nuanced FO statements condemning the Houthi missile attacks as a threat to the Kingdom and Holy Mosques also seem aimed at justifying sending of Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia for active engagement in the conflict."

"Has anyone given a serious thought to its grave consequences?" he asked.

Referred to the parliament's unanimous "resolution seeking strict neutrality" in connection with the conflict, he asked who was making "unilateral" decisions, which bypass the parliament.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani then summoned Defence Minister Khurrum Dastagir. The minister is expected to appear before the Senate on Monday to deliver a policy statement on the recent development.

Saudi Arabia has been demanding deployment of Pakistani troops since the start of the Yemen conflict in 2015, but Pakistan has been struggling to evade the demand despite a unanimously adopted parliamentary resolution affirming the country’s “neutrality” in the conflict.

Last year, Pakistan sent its retired army chief Gen Raheel Sharif to lead a Saudi coalition. Therefore, it was always speculated that the deployment would take place even though it could not happen as quickly as the Saudis wanted.

The ISPR insists that the new deployment and nearly 1,000 Pakistani troops already stationed there would not be “employed outside KSA”.

There was no word on the size of the deployment.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1389781/s...jections-over-army-deployment-in-saudi-arabia

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan being dragged into regional conflicts could be an issue for us later.

 

[Madplayer]

Bowing down again to the Arab masters . Well done on getting involved in west Asian conflicts and inviting all sorts of monsters into your home.

 

[Varun]

Put it this way: will Saudi Arabia ever consider sending troops to Pakistan?

 

[DRsohail]

Babar has said the right thing.

 

[gkb101277867]

Are we really a sovereign nation? We seem to act like slaves and be at the beck and call of other nations....whether it's allowing America to drone our people or bowing down to Saudi.

Why are we sending troops to a country that is mercilessly killing and bombing innocents in yemen?

 

[Lonewarrior]

looks like some people dont try to understand it, and want to twisted it. pakistan is not going to fight any war. they have sent clear message to the saudis before. they just sent thre troops for training and expertise, and maybe to control/defend the two Holy Cities. thats all.

 

[Greenstorm]

Our army is there to protect Holy cities since decades.

 

[syed abbas]

#Thankyouboys#

 

[Pakpak]

Put it this way: will Saudi Arabia ever consider sending troops to Pakistan?

What I want to know is that how is it the Saudis spend almost £85 billion a year on defense (third highest in the world after US and China) and still come to us whenever it comes to troops?

They are so incompetent its beyond belief.

 

[IAJ]

What I want to know is that how is it the Saudis spend almost £85 billion a year on defense (third highest in the world after US and China) and still come to us whenever it comes to troops?

They are so incompetent its beyond belief.

Saudi soldiers demanded AC’s in their tanks otherwise they would not use them. Heard this when I was there some weeks ago.

 

[Pakistanian]

Saudi soldiers demanded AC’s in their tanks otherwise they would not use them. Heard this when I was there some weeks ago.

It's like 120 degrees there, can't blame them. The tank must be like an oven.

 

[KB]

Historical perspective is quite important here. The Pakistani state has overseen manifold failures of its own making, but it has had relative success in striking a delicate balance between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The first head of state to visit Pakistan was the Shah of Iran. Lacking strategic depth, split into two wings separated by India and beginning its life with a deep sense of existential insecurity arising from troubling relations from the outset with India and Afghanistan, Pakistan sought cordial relations with Iran to provide some geographic respite. Iran in the 1950s, too, saw its security as linked to Pakistan’s stability, viewing the fledgling state as a useful buffer against Soviet interests in the region. The fact that both nations at this time were closely aligned with western powers also helped cement the relationship. At this time Saudi Arabia was not a significant factor in the minds of Pakistan state officials.

This began to change towards the end of the Ayub regime. In 1967, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan reached agreement to work on defence cooperation, and for Pakistanis to provide some training to Saudi military personnel. But it was really under Bhutto in the 1970s that the relationship strengthened in important ways. Prior to Bangladesh achieving independence, 50 per cent of West Pakistan's exports were to East Pakistan. Following the secession of the Eastern wing, Pakistan had to seek new markets and restructure its trade and one market that Pakistan sought to develop was West Asia. Closer diplomatic ties with the Arab world also facilitated the inflow of Libyan and Saudi money which was ultimately crucial for the nuclear programme. It is also in this period that significant opportunities for labour migration presented itself. In time such remittances from Pakistan's ‘manpower’ exports, would - and in fact still is - a crucial component of the Pakistani economy with important implications. Notably, Iran is not a key destination for Pakistani labour exports.

At the same time Bhutto was careful not to upset the Iranians. As Bhutto told Kissinger, “Iran is our neighbor. Saudi Arabia is far away.” Iran assisted Pakistan in overcoming the Baluch insurgency in 1975. Iran itself feared that a successful insurgency in Pakistan could encourage separatism amongst Iran’s population of Baluch. In the end Bhutto was able to extract aid from both Saudi Arabia and Iran.

In the Zia years, Pakistan maintained a pragmatic stance aimed at balance between the Iran and Saudi Arabia. This was despite the strains engendered by the first Afghan war and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Both events seemed to tilt Pakistan closer to Saudi interests. Ayatollah Khomeini sought to export the revolution and took a more interventionist stance on Pakistani Shi’a interests. The Pakistan government were aware that Iranian students played a role in the riots against compulsory zakat collections. The Afghan war also tightened the nexus of interests between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The latter provided vast sums of financial assistance to the mujahideen. In return, Pakistan agreed to station 20,000 soldiers to protect the Kingdom, although all expenses were to be footed by Saudi Arabia. The House of Saud was willing to do this because it feared being overthrown either by Palestinians in the Kingdom, factionalism amongst the princes, external support by the Soviet Union or a combination of such forces. Additional forces were therefore gratefully welcomed. In addition, remittances from West Asia, in particular Saudi Arabia, were huge in the 1980s and helped stabilise the Pakistan economy as well as fuelling growth and releasing tension amongst the unemployed in the country. Yet, Pakistan was still careful not to antagonise Iran and refused to support Iraq in its war with Iran between 1980 and 1988. With a significant Shi’a minority - estimated as 15- 20 per cent - Pakistan was well aware that it could ill afford to be seen to be too closely aligned with either party. In the 1990s, the relationship with Iran did cool, as Pakistan opted to support the Taliban, whereas Iran saw its interests as best secured through the Northern Alliance.

Today, with Iran and Saudi fighting its proxy war in their bid for West Asian hegemony, Pakistan continues to do its best to strike a delicate balance. Such a stance is shaped by a number of considerations. Strategically, Pakistan seeks to avoid encirclement: antagonising Iran could push it to join a hostile alliance with India and Afghanistan. Domestically, with a significant Shi’a minority, Pakistan has no appetite to be sucked into conflict which could engender sectarian violence on a destabilising scale and potentially weaken the unity of the military. Economically, remittances from the Middle East (and it is from Saudi that most remittances derive from), as well as imports of crude oil (Saudi is the key supplier) and natural gas (here Qatar is the most significant trading partner) also constrain Pakistan.