Abu Dhabi // The deployment of Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia would cap a diplomatic push by Islamabad’s army chief and prime minister, who have visited the kingdom, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE in recent months.
A number of economic and security interests have aligned to underscore the strategic importance of the relationship for both sides.
The GCC is the world’s largest importer of arms, but as budgets are set to remain tightened in an era of low oil prices, its members are also looking for cheaper alternatives. This imperative comes in parallel to a longer-term goal of diversifying strategic relationships away from a dependence on the United States.
“You can’t afford having these very expensive contracts with western companies and contractors, so what [the GCC] will do is go toward cheaper contractors, so that’s why they are looking towards China, towards Pakistan, towards Turkey – it’s just the natural move,” said Andreas Krieg, a professor at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom’s Joint Command and Staff College.
“Over the last two years the Qataris have really turned their backs towards the West and looked toward the East, as all the Gulf countries are doing right now”
The UAE has the most advanced Arab military and defence sector, but Qatar and Saudi Arabia have further to go in terms of the capacity of their forces and their domestic defence industries – both areas where Pakistan can play an important role.
Qatar in particular is working closely with Pakistan and Turkey in this field, and the three countries are in the early stages of talks aimed at joint production of new defence systems. Qatar has also expressed interest in the fifth generation JF-17 fighter jet which Pakistan developed with China.
“In the past Pakistan was just seen as a supply of manpower but now I think the Qataris have realised there’s a lot more to get out of Pakistan than just manpower,” Mr Krieg said.
A demonstration by Pakistani pilots of the JF-17 last year in Qatar was intended by Islamabad to show Qatari officials that “‘Yes we have a lot of manpower but we’re not a backwards country, we have great technology and we have a military-industrial complex that you can use’,” Mr Krieg added.
Pakistanis provide training to GCC armed forces and thousands serve in Gulf uniforms in most of the GCC’s militaries, including entire battalions of Pakistanis in the Saudi military. “So there is a very intimate relationship already that goes beyond any relationship ... with western countries”, Mr Krieg said. “There is a dependency on Pakistan anyway.”
For Pakistan, the expansion of the export-orientated aspects of its defence industry is an important part of its economic growth, with the government setting a target of expanding the trade to US$1billion (Dh3.67bn) in the next two years, defence production minister Rana Tanveer Hussain told Bloomberg News last week.
Islamabad sees the GCC as a key market for this expansion. The Pakistan Ordnance Factory recently opened an office in Dubai, which covers the entire Middle East.
During Gen Qamar Bajwa’s talks in Doha earlier this month, the Pakistani military said it agreed to provide troops to help Qatar secure the 2022 World Cup. Qatar’s armed forces are too small, and also do not have the counter-terrorism and infrastructure security capacity that is crucial for any country hosting the world’s largest sporting event.
While the Pakistani troops may not provide the same quality service as western private contractors, they are cheaper and never overcharge the Qataris, Mr Krieg said.
After prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit last week, Kuwait has reportedly agreed to build a refinery in Balochistan as well as a pipeline that would take energy products from Karachi to industrial hubs in Punjab province.
Last summer Pakistan also signed a US$22 billion (Dh80.8bn) deal for Qatar to supply it with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for two decades. And officials in Doha have been in discussion with Islamabad to at some point build an LNG pipeline connecting Karachi – where Qatar has already agreed to build a new LNG terminal – to western China.
“All the GCC countries are looking towards China, and Pakistan is a great gateway,” Mr Krieg said.
At the same time, Pakistan is also looking to increase economic and political ties with Iran, however, to pursue shared interests and to maintain its policy of balancing Riyadh and its rival Tehran.
“That is more to do with ... Iran’s potential role in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s effort to develop a regional consensus involving Iran, Russia, China, the Central Asian states to seek a solution” to the conflict and stymie the rise of ISIL there, Mr Hussain said.
Pakistan also does not want Iran to ally more closely with its arch-rival India, whose ties with Tehran are growing, he added.
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UAE athletes heading to Paris 2024
Equestrian
Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzooqi, Salem Al Suwaidi, and Ali Al Karbi (four to be selected).
Judo
Men: Narmandakh Bayanmunkh (66kg), Nugzari Tatalashvili (81kg), Aram Grigorian (90kg), Dzhafar Kostoev (100kg), Magomedomar Magomedomarov (+100kg); women's Khorloodoi Bishrelt (52kg).
Cycling
Safia Al Sayegh (women's road race).
Swimming
Men: Yousef Rashid Al Matroushi (100m freestyle); women: Maha Abdullah Al Shehi (200m freestyle).
Athletics
Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi (women's 100 metres).
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
Teaching in coronavirus times
The specs
Engine: 3.6-litre, V6
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 285hp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh159,900
On sale: now
In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Director: Robert Lorenz
Starring: Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Ciaran Hinds
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends