Saudis miffed at Pakistan for mischievous post

Saudi Arabia has once again become miffed at Pakistan over a mischievous social media post by a Pakistani Syed Zaid Zamad Hamid calling for a Pakistan-led coalition of Islamic countries to counter Israel. The statement is believed to be an indirect message from the Pakistan government challenging the supremacy of Riyadh in the Islamic world. Saudi Arabia leads the 57-member coalition of Islamic countries, Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), a powerful front which sets the agenda for the Islamic world.
 
Of late, there has been a thaw in the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Middle East. The Pakistani social media posting by an individual, suspected to be close to the military establishment, comes as a challenge to Riyadh’s diplomatic moves in the region. Riyadh’s suspicions about Pakistani motives are not unfounded. Pakistani leaders,including Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi have been criticising the kingdom for not taking up the Pakistani cause of Kashmir at the OIC meetings. Riyadh and OIC have remained neutral on Kashmir, considering it an internal matter of another sovereign nation, India. In what Saudis consider an open revolt in the Islamic world, Islamabad has been hob-nobbing with countries like Turkey and Malaysia to create a parallel alliance of Islamic countries.
 
In February last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan chose to speak out against Saudi Arabia during a visit to Malaysia where he had gone to elicit support for an alternative alliance.Making a oblique reference to Saudi Arabia, Khan lamented the lack of unity among Muslim nations on Kashmir. He said, `` We can’t even come together as an whole at the OIC meeting on Kashmir.”
 
A few months later, in August, Foreign Minister Qureshi struck a strident note against Saudi Arabia when he said in a television interview that ``"Today, I am telling the OIC to convene the meeting of the council of foreign ministers. If they cannot do it, then I will be compelled to ask the prime minister [Imran Khan] to call a meeting of Islamic countries [Iran, Turkey and Malaysia] that are ready to stand with us on the
issue of Kashmir."
 
The Saudis reacted sharply to the statement and decided to withdraw various monetary concessions it had been regularly bestowing on Pakistan. Taken by surprise, Pakistan

Army chief Javed Bajwa rushed to Riyadh but was denied an audience with the Saudi prince for hours before being subjected to a quiet but firm tongue lashing. Although Prime Minister Imran Khan landed in Riyadh May this year to make up for the gaffes he and his ministers have been indulging in, Saudi Arabia has remained suspicious about Pakistani intent and actions. When the objectionable social media post appeared this month, the reaction was swift and loaded. Although Pak Embassy in Riyadh tried to douse the fire by claiming that the person responsible for the post was not related either to the government or the military, there are few takers for the
lame explanation in Riyadh.