HISTORY OF SAUDI ARABIA AND EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT OF PAKISTANI MUSLIMS WITH IT
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is situated in the Western Part of Asia on the Arabian Peninsula. It has a land area of approximately 2,150,000 square kilometers. It is a neighbor to Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, and Israel. The only country in the world that is connected to both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. It is home to Islam, the second largest religion of the world (the only religion that provides a complete code of life from cradle to grave). It is now the largest oil exporter in the world. It is also an active member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The first Muslim in the subcontinent of India arrived around 712AD. His name is Mohammad bin Qasim. The Arab world has relations with India ever since. Muslims ruled India for over 10 centuries. Pakistan came into being in 1947 in the name of Allah on the eve of the 27th of Ramadhan. Saudis especially and other Muslim countries generally revere Pakistan due to its emergence as the only Muslim state in the name of Allah.
Pakistani Muslims have always longed for the unity and peace of Muslims and felt their pains whether they have been persecuted in Rohingya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Kashmir and Syria or they have been divided in sects and school of thoughts.
SPECIAL PLACE OF SAUDI ARABIA IN THE HEARTS OF PAKISTANI PEOPLE
Saudi Arabia is home to our Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon Him). He was born in Makkah and died in Madina. Quran is read in every part of the world for many centuries in the same Arabic language in which it was revealed by Allah. Muslims offer prayers five times a day facing Makkah in purely Arabic language as the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed. Muslims offer Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage once a year in the month of Dhul Hijjah) in Makkah and Madina. This beautiful Hadith connects every Muslim with another Muslim.
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.” (Sahih Bukhari)
CURRENT SITUATION OF PAK SAUDI RELATIONS
As described above that both countries have strong historical, cultural and religious relations despite the fact that Pakistan has close relations with Iran. Pak-Saudi relations have often been described as extremely fraternal and they have described as close Muslim allied countries that rely on each other in matters related to the Islamic world.
Saudi Arabia has been helping and supporting Pakistan on every forum from time to time both morally and financially.
These relations are of government level. People to people relations can never be deteriorated among Muslim nations of any origin whether they belong to any race or color and nationality. They have been forbidden to discriminate against each other religiously. Saudis hold special reverence in the hearts of Pakistanis due to the multiple reasons stated above.
Now the government to government relations are deteriorating due to the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Prime Minister of Pakistan paid a special visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2019. After his visit, he announced that he is not joining the summit. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in response that Saudi king Salman has forbidden Pakistan from joining the Summit. PM of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad said that he wished that PM of Pakistan joined the summit. Amid all this, a special envoy of Saudi FO Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud met PM Khan in Islamabad conveying a secret message of Saudi King. He further added that Crown Prince Mohammad wants to visit Pakistan in 2020 and his highness call for an OIC meeting in Islamabad. Crown prince plans to inaugurate many mega projects and will speed up the investment into the already ongoing projects that were initiated on his earlier visit.
When there were sanctions on Pakistan after testing an atomic bomb in 1998 Saudi Arabia was the only country that helped Pakistan with providing it the free oil 50,000 barrels per day. Every Pakistani head of the state call and considers the Saudi King as a big brother.
Saudi Arabia announced to establish an oil refinery in Pakistan in 2019. It plans to invest in IT, education, agriculture, communications, tourism, and real estate. Saudi crown prince Mohammad announced to invest $20 billion in 2019 during his visit to Pakistan. Now there are rumors that he is coming to Pakistan with even double or triple the amount of money that he announced earlier to appease the mad PM of Pakistan.
PLACE OF PAKISTAN IN THE HEARTS OF ARABIAN COUNTRIES
Pakistan also has a special in the hearts of other Muslim countries due to its love with Islam, Islamic values and Muslims. Pakistan is the only Muslim country that has nuclear power. Pakistan has said every now and then that an attack on Saudi Arabia will be considered an attack on Pakistan. It has also said that Pakistan will keep no stone unturned to protect the Harmain Ash Sharifain (two Holy Mosques of Muslims in Makkah and Madina).
Arabs know that Pakistan will be the first country to fight along with them from their side for the unity of Islam and Muslims.
The Pakistani army has trained many Arabian armies. In the 1980s there were about 70,000 Pakistani army men serving in Saudi Arabia.
CONCLUSION
There is no power on earth that can divide Muslims and create fissures in their fraternal relations. They are bound to be brothers with each other by Allah. Quran, Namaz, Hajj, belief in Allah and all of His Prophets unites them.
The Pakistani government has grievances with the Saudi Government. Those grievances will be overcome with the passage of time. Governments come and go, but people, their history, creeds, and culture remains the same. Pakistani and Saudi Muslims will never cease to love each other for any reason. Nor will the Muslims of other countries.
