ISLAMABAD: "Are you with us or with Qatar?" Saudi King Salman asked a pointing and direct question to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was on a visit to the Gulf Kingdom for a diplomatic solution to the Qatar crisis. He asked Sharif to clarify his position during the meeting, as reported by the media. A report read, “Pakistan has told Saudi Arabia it will not take sides in the brewing diplomatic crisis in the Middle East after Riyadh asked Islamabad 'are you with us or with Qatar'.”
While Pak has managed to weigh its steps carefully ever since Saudi and other countries cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on allegations of supporting terrorist groups, Saudi wants it to side with them. Sharif, along with army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and other senior officials travelled to Jeddah to discuss the issue. The visit however, did not fructify as expected.
An official statement said that Sharif met King Salman and urged an early resolution of the impasse in Gulf in the best interest of all Muslims. Saudi Press Agency said both the leaders discussed the “latest regional developments” in addition to bilateral relations. Salman told Sharif that “the fight against extremism and terrorism is in the interest of all Muslims and the Ummah.”
The latest crisis is considered to be the gravest to be faced by the Gulf Cooperation Council in nearly four decades. No diplomatic efforts have worked so far in easing the tensions. Emir Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad of Kuwait, who has been leading the diplomatic initiative has vowed to continue his efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis despite a lack of results.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on June 5, alleging that its policies fuel extremism and terrorism. The crisis erupted late last month over fears that Qatar was trying to improve its ties with Iran, which Saudi Arabia and its allies wanted to be isolated.
