Relations between Pakistan and the UAE appear to be in a strong downward spiral in recent weeks, particularly after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan criticized the UAE’s formalization of its relationship with Israel, people said. familiar with the matter on condition of anonymity.
This has manifested itself not only in the arrest of pro-Palestinian Pakistani activists in the UAE, but also other Pakistani residents, sometimes for minor offenses. People familiar with the matter said that around 5,000 Pakistani prisoners are housed in Al Sweihan jail in Abu Dhabi alone.
The UAE is likely to impose stricter visa rules for Pakistani citizens who wish to travel to the Emirates for work. HT learns that Pakistani residents are finding it difficult to renew residency permits and there have been rumors of deportation, although no reports have emerged of a large-scale exercise to that end.
HT also learns that the Pakistani Ambassador to Abu Dhabi, Ghulam Dastgir, recently met with senior leaders of the UAE’s ruling establishment in this regard, but was told to back off.
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Interestingly, while the immediate trigger may be Khan’s comments, some of the UAE’s actions appear to have been prompted by the findings of its investigation into the 2017 attack on Kandahar in which five UAE diplomats were killed. United. The persons named in the first instance said that UAE investigators concluded that the Haqqani Network was behind the attack and that Pakistan’s all-powerful Interservice spy agency was also directly involved. Back then, Islamabad’s immediate reaction was to blame Iran for the attack.
The developments in the UAE’s relationship with Pakistan should also be viewed in the context of Saudi Arabia’s ties with Pakistan. Islamabad’s efforts to involve West Asian nations in matters related to its relationship with New Delhi have not gone well in both countries, people familiar with the matter added.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi warned the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in August that if he did not call a meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss the annulment of Article 370 In J&K by India, Pakistan would go ahead to call a meeting of Islamic countries that would support it on the issue of Kashmir.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are also locked in tough debt repayment negotiations. In 2018, with Islamabad facing a checking account crisis, the Saudis had extended a $ 6.2 billion package to Pakistan, which included $ 3 billion in loans and oil in deferred payments worth $ 3.2 billion. In addition to applying for the loans, Riyadh has frozen the oil credit line granted to Pakistan.
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And recently, Saudi Arabia asked the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh not to hold any public events to commemorate what it observes as “Kashmir Black Day” (October 27).
The worsening relations with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia should be of concern to Pakistan, which for years has survived with the support of West Asia. It is this support that has prevented their isolation, despite the fact that there is sufficient evidence of their involvement in fomenting terrorist groups and their use for their own ends. The loss of support from these countries will not only hurt Pakistan economically, but may also leave it without too many friends even in the Muslim world.
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