Beijing breakthrough
THE Chinese capital is not usually associated with Middle East peacemaking. Yet it was in Beijing on Friday that smiling top officials from the host country, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced to a surprised world that Riyadh and Tehran had decided to re-establish diplomatic relations.
This is no mean achievement, considering the terse ties between the two states, particularly in the decades since 1979’s Islamic Revolution in Iran. The deal, if all goes according to plan, would open up a new vista of cooperation between two of the Muslim world’s most influential states, while the breakthrough also brings to the fore a dominant China’s newfound role as international peacemaker.
Relations have alternated between lukewarm ties and open hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran ever since the revolution. However, the relationship suffered a severe jolt when Riyadh executed prominent Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Baqir al-Nimr in 2016. Thereafter, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi missions in Tehran and Mashhad, which led to the rupture in diplomatic ties. During and before this period, both sides have competed for influence in Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq and most notably Yemen, where the devastating civil war has pitted the pro-Iran Houthi militia against the Saudi-allied government. Therefore, a Saudi-Iranian détente has the potential to bring stability to all these states, particularly Yemen.
Moreover, improved ties between what are seen as the Muslim world’s leading Sunni and Shia powers can also mean better intra-Muslim relations. This is especially true for countries like Pakistan, which have witnessed significant sectarian violence, much of it influenced by the Saudi-Iran rivalry.
Coming to China’s role, the peace deal signals that Beijing is willing to take a more active role in international diplomacy. This may be partly due to the fact that China wants stability in an important market — the Gulf — and maintains good relations with both Riyadh and Tehran. Iraq and Oman have also played quiet, important roles in bringing both sides to the table.
However, the deal has sent alarm bells ringing in important capitals, most significantly Washington. The US has welcomed the move, albeit in a cagey manner. The American establishment seems to be wary of Iran breaking out of isolation — that the US has worked quite hard to maintain — and is also not too happy to see China playing an active role in global diplomacy. Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, there is disquiet bordering on panic, as senior opposition figures have termed the peace deal a “failure of Israel’s foreign policy”.
The path to peace for the Saudis and Iranians will not be easy, as there remains a wide gulf of mistrust while there are spoilers aplenty who will be seeking to sabotage the deal. But for the sake of their people and the Muslim world, both sides need to make it work.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2023
Costly Haj
FOR millions across the Muslim world, performing Haj is the dream of a lifetime, and many people save money for the pilgrimage for decades. Yet, due to the prevailing global economic situation, their hopes may remain unfulfilled, as matters of the spirit are also affected by harsh earthly economic realities. For Pakistan’s intending hajis, the pilgrimage has become dearer by a few hundred thousand rupees this year, as under the government scheme, pilgrims will end up paying around Rs1.2m to get to the holy land. It is also of concern that, under the new Haj policy, 50pc of Pakistan’s total quota of just over 179,000 hajis has been allotted to overseas Pakistanis. Designed to save precious foreign exchange, this scheme will allow Pakistanis settled abroad to proceed on the pilgrimage themselves under Pakistan’s quota, or sponsor relatives in this country, without balloting, by sending foreign currency from overseas. While the move may make economic sense and prevent the flight of foreign currency, it will mean that less spaces are available for people wanting to go for Haj from this country, who do not have relatives abroad to sponsor them.
As per Islamic injunctions, only those who can afford the journey are supposed to go on Haj. But constant price rises and economic shocks mean that only the rich are able to fulfil this pillar of faith. Those with knowledge of the situation present different explanations for the high Haj costs. The foremost is the weak rupee, and the strong dollar. Moreover, while the Saudis have reduced some costs, the kingdom has jacked up taxes, which means more expensive food, hotels etc. Airfares have also gone through the roof, while there is a shortage of hotel rooms in Madina. In order to facilitate pilgrims of all economic strata, the Saudi government, as well as Muslim states, need to put in maximum efforts to make Haj affordable, and not another opportunity to make money.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2023
Pollution policy
A NATIONAL policy on combating air pollution has been long overdue. With Pakistan’s largest cities regularly ranking among the most polluted in the world, it is a wonder that the issue had not been looked into with more urgency. Better late than never, as they say. According to news reports, the federal government okayed the National Clear Air Policy recently, “aiming to improve air quality in the country by reducing pollution”. According to a story carried in this paper, the policy will attempt to provide a comprehensive framework to tackle air pollution, focusing on actions that can be taken at the national level to mitigate its harmful effects. Primary objectives of the policy have been identified as reducing deaths due to pollution-related illnesses, transboundary pollution, improving general health, and reducing the impact of air pollution on national economic activity.
According to Sherry Rehman, climate change minister and reportedly the driving force behind this effort, in the year 2019 alone, bad air caused 235,000 premature deaths in Pakistan. It reduced the average life expectancy by 2.7 years. Those are staggering numbers. There has been an equally stupefying economic cost borne by the country for its failure to act against the menace, which the World Bank has estimated to be around $48bn, according to Ms Rehman. It is encouraging to see the urgency with which this problem is now being tackled, although much remains dependent on the enthusiasm and commitment with which the provincial governments adopt the mitigation measures that are to be prescribed under the policy. Policymakers at all levels must realise that air pollution is an issue of considerable importance to the climate change crisis Pakistan faces. Hazardous levels of air pollution regularly disrupted life in some of the biggest cities of Punjab this past winter, disrupting economic activity. Karachi, where air pollution still remains an overlooked crisis, has seen a spate of deaths, including of children, which have been attributed to the discharge of toxic industrial gases close to or in residential areas. Respiratory illnesses are becoming increasingly common in the port city, impairing the quality of life of ordinary citizens who are unaware of the hazards of the dangerous pollutants they breathe in every day. The national policy to combat air pollution should be taken up with as much zeal as the other existential challenges we face.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2023