With a Pakistani general leading a Saudi-led terror fighting force, Islamabad has the chance once again to be the region’s final guarantor When one thinks of the Pakistan Army, one does not instinctively think of a force that is relevant to conflicts in the Middle East. Yet increasingly – and without actually being involved in any operations - it is the most influential military in the region.

1. Asia's quiet superpower: Pakistan Army’s teetering
balance between Saudi and Iran
#GulfTensions
Kamal Alam
Thursday 2 March2017 12:30 UTC2049
Asia's quiet superpower: Pakistan Army’s teetering balance between Saudi and Iran
Asia's quiet superpower: Pakistan Army’s teetering
balance between Saud...
With a Pakistani general leading a Saudi-led terror fighting force, Islamabad has the
chance once again to be th...
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2. With a Pakistani general leading a Saudi-led terror fighting force, Islamabad has the chance
once again to be the region’s final guarantor
When one thinks of the Pakistan Army, one does notinstinctively think of a force that is relevant to conflicts in the
Middle East.Yet increasingly– and without actually being involved in any operations - it is the mostinfluential military
in the region.
Who will lead the Islamic NATO, a new Saudi-led, terrorist-fighting military alliance? None other
than Pakistan’s General Raheel Sharif
It has trained more Arab armies than any other country and has been presentboth in a combatrole in the Arab-Israeli
wars in 1967 and 1973 and also provided mentorship as the Gulfcountries'armies were founded.
This is mostlythanks to the legacy of the British Indian Army, which was one-third Muslim,and which the British relied
on to pacify the hostilityof Arab Muslims when itmarched through Jerusalem,Damascus and Baghdad.After India’s
partition in 1947,these troops became the founders ofthe Pakistan militaryand thus began a long relationship that
exists to this day.
The British Indian Army enter Baghdadin 1917 with Lt GenFederickStanley Maude (Wikicommons)
After the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army, and Iran’s rising influence across the Middle East, the Gu lf
states,led by Saudi Arabia, have looked to Pakistan as the final guarantor.
When the currentPakistan Chiefof Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa recently stated that Pakistan views
Saudi Arabia’s protection as its own, it was seen as an indirectwarning to Iran and the terroristgroups threatening
Saudi Arabia.
And who will lead the "Islamic NATO", a new Saudi-led,terrorist-fighting militaryalliance? None other than Pakistan’s
General Raheel Sharif.

3. Surprise announcements
Though it was rumoured for a good year before his retirement,when Defence Minister Khwaja Asif confirmed Sharif’s
appointmentto the "Muslim NATO" a few weeks ago,it came as a surprise to the Pakistani parliamentin much the
same wayas the announcementtwo years ago that Pakistan was to participate in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
There was a furore in the GCC when,after the surprise announcement,the Pakistani militaryeventually refused the
role in Yemen in 2015.The UAE even cancelled visa waivers for Pakistani militaryofficials,a process thathad existed
for decades,while leading Kuwaitand Saudi state-owned media attacked Pakistan and how ithad back-stabbed its
"brothers"in the Gulf.
In June 2014, Pakistan army soldiersgather before the start of a military operation against the Taliban in themain town of Miranshahin North
Waziristan (AFP)
Pakistan itselfwas splitdown the middle over Yemen. The majorityof the militarywas apparentlyin favour of the
army’s participation.However,given Operation Zarb e Azb, in which the army was targeting cross-border violence
and domestic terroristgroups on the Afghan border in North Waziristan, the militarywas overstretched fighting its own
war on terror.
Ultimately,Pakistan did not take part in Yemen with troops on the ground,but did provide border supportto guard
Saudi sovereignty and offer advice during the air campaign.
However, two years down the line,with Pakistan military’s operations winding down in the northwestofits country,
there is increased stabilitywithin the army and,tactically speaking,troops are now available.So the question ofa
more active role for Pakistan in Yemen may arise again.
One of the main reasons Saudi Arabia is going back to Pakistan for help, despite its previous refusal in Yemen,is that
Pakistan and General Raheel Sharifhimselfwarned thatground operations in Yemen were futile given the terrain,
and proximity to the sea making impractical the use ofthe hammer and anvil tactic - and they were proven right.
While Pakistan will definitelynot put troops in Yemen (Sharif has made thatclear), the army can help by mediating
conflict resolution mechanisms itused with success in Waziristan and SwatValley.
The obvious choice
General Raheel Sharifis an obvious choice for the Muslim NATO role given his tremendous popularityin the Arab

4. world - particularly in Saudi.
For decades, the Saudis and other Gulf royals have treated the Pakistan Army and its chief as
special guests
As army chief, he has made sixofficial visits to Saudi Arabia, broughtthe Qataris into Pakistan’s militaryorbitand put
the Egyptian-Pakistan relationship back on track by becoming the firstPakistani in his position to visitCairo in over
two decades.In 2014, Sharif was the only non-head ofstate presentat the GCC militaryexercise, Abdullah’s Shield.
There are also close historic ties between Saudi and Pakistan thatmake Sharifan easy choice. For decades,the
Saudis and other Gulf royals have treated the Pakistan Army and its chief as special guests;there has been talk of
Pakistan providing a nuclear umbrella againstIran,and a potential hammer ifone were needed to protect the GCC.
Indeed in Bahrain,Iran and several international organisations accused Pakistan ofsupporting the suppression of
protestors atthe behestof the Saudis.
When the Saudi embassywas attacked by a mob in Tehran lastyear after the execution of a prominentShia
cleric, Sharifundertook a three-day diplomatic initiative that led him firstto Saudi and then to Iran to mediate between
the two countries and calm fears of an escalation given alreadyfraught relations over the Syrian and Yemen conflicts.
An Iranian protester holdsa sign bearingthe name of Shia cleric Nimr al -Nimr duringa protest against hisexecutionby Saudi authoritieson 3
January 2016, outsidethe Saudi embassy in Tehran (AFP)
There were also unconfirmed reports bordering on fake news that Pakistan had threatened to nuke Iran if it dared to
attack Saudi Arabia.
At this moment,there are 158 Saudi militarycadets in the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad, a record
of any overseas force in any military academyin the world.There is also another historic firstfor the Pakistan Army: it
has become the firstMuslim country to have a permanentinstructor atthe Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.The
instructor,Major Uqbah Malik, is a platoon commander with several Arab cadets under his command along with
British cadets.
For the lasttwo years, the chief guests atthe Pakistan Air Force’s Academy in Risalpur have been the head of the
Iraqi and Saudi defence forces. There were a dozen Iraqi cadets lastyear and more this year.
Similarlyin Damascus,Pakistan sentone of its top air force generals as ambassador to smooth tensions and actas a

5. back-door mediator between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Sharif’s successor,currentarmy chiefQamar Bajwa’s firstofficial overseas trip was a recent three-day visit to Saudi
Arabia. It was no coincidence thatSharif was also in Saudi at the same time performing his Umrah,the lesser
pilgrimage atthe invitation of the Saudi king. There were also manyvideos shared over social media ofRaheel Sharif
being mobbed as a hero as Saudi Special Forces guarded him.
Iran-Saudi mediator?
Along with its vast military resources,deployed over the lastdecades to fight on behalfof various Arab states and its
role as the largesttrainer of Arab armies,Pakistan’s role as a peace maker between several warring capitals has
been crucial.
In fact, the UN Centre of Excellence on COIN and peacekeeping is in Islamabad,where the Pakistan armytrains
other armies from around the world on how to do conflict resolution in war time.
Sharif has made it clear he will only carry on in his current job if Iran is included in the military
alliance so it does not just become a Sunni alliance
Could Pakistan playsuch a role in mediating between Saudi and Iran?
Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran of 1979, Pakistan has drifted away from Tehran and has been seen as too close
to the Saudis to be an honestpeace broker between Riyadh and Tehran.
Two decades ago,Pakistan’s armyplayed a leading role in mediating an end to the Iraq-Iran war, something the late
Iranian presidentRafsanjani specificallyappreciated.
While for some,Sharif’s appointmenthas been seen as a message to Iran that Pakistan is abandoning its neutral role
between the two countries,itwould seem thatan opportunity has again presented the Pakistan militaryto take a lead.
Sharif has made itclear he will only carry on in his role as head of the military alliance ifIran is included so it does not
justbecome a Sunni front.

6. Then Pakistan Army Chief of Staff General Raheel Sharifarrivesfor a visit in Sri Lanka in June 2015 (AFP)
Notably, the Pakistan army is the only non-sectarian armyin the Muslim world - it has had Shia Hazara chiefof staffs,
Sunnis and several Christian generals.Given this,Pakistan is well-positioned to balance Iran and Saudi Arabia’s
tensions.
There are potential opportunities and problems for Pakistan here.If it is not careful and is seen as being too close to
Saudi,it could further exacerbate its fragile domestic sectarian balance and make trouble for Pakistan domestically.
But if the new alliance holds,Pakistan stands to benefit greatly, especiallywith the Turkish support ofthe country.
- Kamal Alam is a Visiting Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).He specialises in contemporary
military history of the Arab world and Pakistan,he is a Fellow for Syrian Affairs at The Institute for Statecraft, and is a
visiting lecturer at several military staff colleges across the Middle East, Pakistan and the UK.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle
East Eye.
Photo: In January 2016, then Pakistan's army chiefGeneral Raheel Sharif(R) meets with Deputy Crown Prince and
Saudi Minister of Defence Mohammed bin Salman in Rawalpindi,Pakistan (AFP)
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