Atta Rasool
Malik
There was a time when Arab
soldiers, under the heroic command of 17 years old Muslim General, Muhammad Bin
Qasim marched on India and soon defeated the arrogant Hindu Raja Dahir whose
men had ill-treated few Muslim women. In the year 712 AD, thereafter, there was
literally no turning back for the expansion of Islam in the sub-continent. With
this victory, all of Sindh came under the control of the Muslims. It continued
with successive waves of Muslim armies moving forward into India and leaders
such as Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Tughluq expanded the Muslims’ hold. Sindh
is the land around the Indus River in the southwestern part of the
subcontinent, in present-day Pakistan.
Unlike
Muhammad Bin Qasim, soldiers of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of UAE Armed Forces Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be
marching to the tune of Narendra Modi on republic Day of India in Delhi, tomorrow,
on Thursday 26 Jan 2017. Brigadier Obaid Al Zahumi, UAE contingent commander
will be in step with Indians soldiers along with his contingent comprising 195
UAE soldiers; 15 officers and 180 Other Ranks including band members in the
Indians freedom parade.
The Times of India reports
that for the first time Arab soldiers will be marching in New Delhi. UAE
contingent will match to the music and rhythm of India’s numerous military
bands that put up a spectacular show on that day. The crown prince will be the
chief guest at the 68th Indian Republic Day celebrations. The newspaper further
adds that Sheikh Mohammed’s visit will be an opportunity for India and the UAE,
who have grown closer in the past few years, to upgrade their bilateral
relationship to a “strategic partnership”.
The
Indian Army will showcase its T-90 and BMP tanks, Tejas and Sukhoi fighters,
Brahmos missiles, Dhanush gun system along with Weapon Locating Radars (WLR)
Swati at the R-Day parade to impress Pakistan and China.
Many Pakistanis are surprised
that the crown prince Sheikh Muhammad, the chief guest of Indian parade, is the
grandson of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan who was a great friend of
Pakistan. People in Pakistan even today have very vivid and loving memories of
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. He was a great friend of Pakistan, always
available to Pakistanis in every moment of happiness and grief. In
Pakistan, many of his welfare projects stand as symbols of his generosity,
concern and attachment with people of this land. People take his name with
great respect despite malign Indian propaganda against sheikh that he was fond
of “colorful” parties. People of Pakistan very well knew that Indians have been
maligning him due to his immense liking of Pakistan.
Telegraph, an eminent UK
newspaper in 2004, reported on the death of sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Alnahyan in
following words:
“Pious and disciplinarian,
Sheikh Zayed’s secret was that he never forgot his desert origins, his Islamic
faith or his youthful passion for traditional sports and conservation. His
foreign policy paid attention to the plight of the Palestinians and also
supported developing nations – especially Pakistan, where Sheikh Zayed often
felt at home.”
Khalid S. Almezaini, in his
book “The UAE and foreign policy: foreign aid, identities and interests.
Rutledge: 2012, highlights that Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Alnahyan
considered all Muslims countries particularly Pakistan as part of greater
Middle East, connected through the love of same religion, Islam.
It is an irony that many Arab
Sheikhs, like sheikh Muhammad of UAE, at the height of their fame become ultra-modern and extra liberal.
They start treating Muslims and Non-Muslims alike and fund ‘causes’ in
non-Muslims countries with the hope that in this way they would be more
respectful and prominent. They forget that this is a sheer illusion. Harvard,
Yale, and Princeton were often financially supported by Arab “authoritarian
regimes” but these institutions served more as a prophet of western
civilization, a center of diplomacy and marketing rather than pure academic
excellence. Many research articles originating from these institutions are
influenced by politics and have no regards for their donors or care for
alternative opinions. Saif Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader, Muammar al-Qaddafi,
once said in distress:-
“Just a few months ago we
were being treated as honored friends,” he railed. “Now that rebels are
threatening our country, these cowards are turning on us. The way my former
friends at the LSE [London School of Economics] have turned against me and my
father is particularly upsetting. These people…abandoned us after taking our
money for years.”
The LSE was donated a huge
sum of money by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Alnahyan for many years but now it’s
‘nominated chair’ and portrait is removed from university premises. There,
these Middle Eastern monarchs are called extremists and radicals. However,
Sheikhs find real love and respect in Muslim countries alone. Even today, UAE
officials find unprecedented love and respect in Pakistan. Not only many
hunting sites in Pakistani deserts but also few airstrips of Pakistan are
totally at the discretion of UAE leadership. Relations between UAE and Pakistan
became tense in Apr 2015 when UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr
Anwar Mohammed Garhash warned Pakistan of dire consequences for taking an
“ambiguous stand” on Yemen War. The Minister expected Pakistan ground
troops in support of Saudi led coalition against Yemen but Pakistan parliament
had directed that “Pakistan should play a mediating role and not get involved
in the fighting in Yemen.”
Yemen war, no doubt is sad;
Muslims fighting against Muslims. If any state aggressively starts taking sides
then that one loses the credibility as honest broker/mediator. Pakistan was not
preferring Iran over KSA or UAE but following a principal stand and trying hard
to diffuse the tension between two Muslim countries. Going back few
years, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Alnahyan had expressed serious concerns about
the impact of UN sanctions on Iraq and had extended humanitarian aid to the
Iraqi people. When the US-led coalition was preparing to invade Iraq, he
declined to allow UAE bases to be used. It is always not necessary to be part
of conflict when the dispute is between brothers. UAE is now realizing that War
in Yemen is a futile effort and dispute must be handled through diplomacy and
dialogue.
Today, around 2.6 Million
Indians are working in UAE. It all started in the year 1980 by great leader,
the grandfather of Sheikh Muhammad. He was aware of marginalization and
ill-treatment of Indians Muslims by Hindus in India. He, with full backing and
appreciation of Pakistan started giving jobs to Indians Muslims in UAE to
relieve their acute financial hardships back home in India. However, gradually
Indians Hindus started replacing Indians Muslims on the pretext of more loyalty
and docile attitude. Now the Indian lobby [Hindus] in UAE is most
influential and often creates problems for Pakistan and its diaspora there.
UAE is under immense cultural
attack. It is not only the Arabic language which is shrinking but also Islamic
values fast eroding in many cities of UAE due to massive presence of
non-Muslims. Due to extra liberal policies and non Muslim immigration are
finding their homes and jobs in Arabian Peninsula and reprehensible evils like
prostitution, liquor and gambling; once a trademark of western cities are now
more pronounced in few cities of UAE.
Indian Muslims are continued
to be humiliated on daily basis and no upper caste Hindu ever thinks to dine
with common Muslim. During visit of Arab dignitaries where Hindu elite would be
dinning with Sheikh Muhammad would provide some comfort to the Muslims of
India. In past three months, over 1300 young boys and girls of Indians occupied
Kashmir have been literally ‘blinded’ by Indians security forces by pellet
guns. I only hope that crown prince Sheikh Muhammad enjoys his stay and does
not come across any such victim while witnessing the colorful celebrations in
India. As for Pakistanis, we hardly forget anything, and this move by the UAE
govt will have very long term implications.
Atta Rasool Malik holds an M
Phil degree from National Defence University Islamabad and can be reached at:
attarasul@hotmail.com
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