Irfan Husain in his article published in Dawn on Saturday said it is a pity that the world is watching the Saudi massacre of Yemenis over the last five years.
He said while the world condemned the recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities nobody sympathizes with Yemen war victims.
“Apart from all those civilian casualties, the Saudis have also pushed some 20 million Yemenis close to death by disease and starvation through its naval blockade of ports,” said the analyst.
Irfan Husain added America’s highly successful exploitation of its shale oil reserves has substantially reduced its dependence on Middle East oil.
“This has changed the nature of the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia. And with Israel in post-election turmoil, Netanyahu is unable to exert the kind of pressure he could a few months ago,” said the columnist.
He said many have questioned the utility of Saudi Arabia’s multibillion-dollar arms purchases, especially from the US.
“When the drones and the missiles hit their targets recently, there was no response from the Patriot defence system. It turns out that this was designed to intercept missiles approaching from a steep angle, and not low-flying drones,” added the analyst.
He said the fact is that over the years, the Saudis have been buying high-tech weaponry at exorbitant prices, while these weapons are parked in the desert, and are then replaced by the next generation of modern weapons.
“I am embarrassed that Pakistanis could be fighting for the Saudis against Yemen. When General Raheel Sharif was recruited by Riyadh, there was some confusion about his role. It appears to have become clearer. However, the performance of the coalition forces in Yemen does not inspire much confidence in his capability, if indeed he’s involved in the Saudi misadventure,” said the expert.
Irfan Husain noted that the Americans have scores of bases in the region that can be hit by Iranian missiles in case of hostilities.
“It’s time to talk about lifting sanctions on Iran, not escalating the situation,” he concluded.
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