[Current Affairs] March 01, 2021 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

2. Pakistan is on team Saudi Arabia

What’s going on? The administration of US President Joe Biden released a declassified intelligence report, which assessed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, the Saudi foreign ministry rejected the report.

The details: Khashoggi was a journalist with the Washington Post. He was also known to be a critic of the Saudi royal family. In 2018, he was assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tell me more: US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, approved travel bans on other Saudi officials, like the former intelligence chief, and Saudi Arabia’s Rapid Intervention Force. According to the intelligence report, the Rapid Intervention Force spearheaded the operation against Khashoggi – this same unit is under MBS’s direct control.

Will there be consequences? Even with the intelligence report’s findings, the US govt appears hesitant to directly punish MBS. Biden’s aides said MBS wouldn’t be invited to the US “anytime soon.” However, there is no mention of specific sanctions or travel restrictions against MBS.

The context: Saudi Arabia is a key geopolitical ally. Let’s look at this from a business point of view as well. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (i.e. sovereign wealth fund) has invested in some US-based tech giants. For instance, the investment fund has one of the largest stakes in ride-hailing company, Uber (i.e. roughly a 4% stake worth around $3.4 billion). The investment fund also has 39,000 shares of the electric car maker, Tesla. On top of all that, Saudi Arabia is  reportedly the world’s largest oil exporter.

Something to know: Saudi Arabia’s king is 85-years-old and in poor health. MBS is pretty much Saudi Arabia’s de-facto leader, and next in line to the throne. Bans against sitting world leaders are apparently rare, especially when those leaders are allies. If MBS does become king at some point, and the US has imposed sanctions on him, US-Saudi relations could get complicated.

Pakistan’s response: In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign office said Saudi Arabia already called Khashoggi’s murder an “abhorrent crime.” According to the foreign office, Pakistan recognizes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to investigate the incident and convict people who were responsible. The foreign office went on to say that Pakistan “expresses solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.

Quick recap of Pak-Saudi relations: Last year, Pakistan accused Saudi Arabia of not doing enough to help with the Kashmir issue. Pakistan repeatedly accuses India’s govt of oppressing Kashmiris in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan and India both claim Kashmir in full, but only control parts of it. In return, Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan to repay $3 billion in loans.

The bottom line: From what the public can see, it looks like the US isn’t holding MBS accountable for his role in Khashoggi’s death. Pakistan also seems to be tip-toeing around the issue to rebuild its bumpy relationship with Saudi Arabia.