Pakistan Caught Between Saudi Arabia & Domestic Pressure Over Abraham Accords | Middle East News

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]We'll have that in just a bit. We are also learning via our editor Manoj Gupta that Pakistan Prime Minister and Field Marshal Asim Munir are all set to visit Saudi Arabia soon. Top security sources are telling us that there is speculation growing around a possible expansion of the Abraham Accord. Pakistan civil military establishment is once again facing intense internal debate over this issue whether Islamabad should eventually move towards [music] engagement with Israel or not.

[00:00:30]Given that its own ally and one of its biggest allies right now, Donald Trump led America is pushing for this, what choices does America have? Sources say Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir will visit Saudi Arabia soon where the Abraham Accords issue is expected to feature prominently in discussions with the Saudi leadership as well. And in many ways, Lieutenant General Pande, Pakistan will depend on a cue from Saudi Arabia, isn't it? Do you sense that they will just follow suit and then that that will help them also sell this to their domestic audiences? So, the question then that comes to mind is will Saudi Arabia relent on this issue?

[00:01:10]>> See, Shivani, while a public posturing about Israel and Abraham Accords is uh different, but there has been a certain degree of engagement by the Saudi Israelis, Americans, and they also are requiring peace because the economic condition and the stability of the country today warrants certain degree in the environment and in countries. After Anwar, all are actually down into the dumps because there's nothing which is going and the three uh Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas have really caused a lot of trouble in this land. They are being arm-twisted.

[00:01:50]So, there is one part. The second is to understand that while Asim Munir is very, very smart, what he is doing is that he will ramp up the pressure >> Mhm.

[00:02:00]>> by lecturing the people and people talking about threat to his life and such like thing so that he can get the maximum out of this situation.

[00:02:12]Like to follow through.

[00:02:13]So when Saudi has made the leap, which I think it will, this will bring a condition to Pakistan to pay leverage maximum amount of money, funds, stability, assurance that uh this illegal regime of Shahbaz and Asim Munir continue to stay because understand the continuous of this regime is also contingent upon the US support, right? There are influences which are there in Pakistan which will be controlled by the Americans.

[00:02:44]>> Mhm.

[00:02:44]>> So all these things are cultured by people like Asim Munir.

[00:02:49]If you recall every time there was a scene of talk happening on any nature in the park, you found that the people came out on the streets, be PTI or other uh religious concerns which put pressure on the Americans to understand that okay, there is a situation in Pakistan, therefore I need to uh we need to give >> And speaking of that situation, how real is the prospect that things could go bad on ground?

[00:03:16]If not in Saudi Arabia, then at least in a country like Pakistan if they were to suggest that they are willing to recognize Israel.

[00:03:25]>> You know, uh if you're truly asking me, uh my view is that nothing much will happen because today the grip Well, everybody will feel otherwise. Uh today Asim Munir led military uh uh the terror infrastructure has got immense power and control.

[00:03:42]And in turn, they are being funded from some people across including the Gulf countries, Saudis, and Americans.

[00:03:50]>> Mhm.

[00:03:50]>> So when uh Pakistani and their people the terrorist infrastructure follow the path of money where money will be they will know but they also have a religious so they also have a religious philosophy to defend right their entire reason of being is one hate against India and the other is the whole umma belief against Israel so with what face will they function if you know they lose their entire reasoning of why how they are able to even radicalize the the population So the the fact is that Israel will be quickly forgotten and you know India will become their primary objective Lashkar-e-Taiba is a proxy of Pakistan military what they say what they do is under control of Pakistan military it is not a state in itself right they may say anything they may be free to say anything but this is my perception and I feel that the Pakistani population today has not much enough say on the ground they need to control those five states of religious groupings their leadership and question blackmail them either through money or giving certain amount of power or you know very well Pakistan military being with the religious entities you talked about two months back nearly about two to 300 people got killed when they came onto the streets in support of Imran Khan Yes and they all went five with these the same nothing much have happened when that revolt against Imran Khan happened the charge against Imran Khan was that he's actually in bed with certain foreign powers that is at least how he was it was presented as a defense against or as an acquisition against him and his party of course we saw how he had great ground support and there was almost a revolt and a revolution like situation in Pakistan too.

[00:05:53]You don't suspect that even the likes of Shahbaz Sharif and Asim Munir could face domestic rebellion seen how close they have become to America and how much of their policies are being dictated by America?

[00:06:09]>> Yeah, so frankly everybody in Pakistan or Pakistan Parliament knows >> Mhm.

[00:06:15]>> that Imran Khan was removed the moment he started going against the American interest in the region. Right?

[00:06:21]>> Yes.

[00:06:21]>> And then he started thinking that he's in front of he's a glamorous poster of cricketer boy who started turning religious and he had a massive mandate after his five years which was again supported from the military and would have come back in power. So, a person of the stature like Imran Khan could be removed by the Americans through Asim Munir and to install a proxy government of this thing so of Shahbaz Sharif.

[00:06:51]>> Mhm.

[00:06:51]>> You can well imagine the state of things. So, the layered the layered uh hybrid form of governance which exist in uh and talked about it.

[00:07:03]Is the Pakistani military establishment, the political in the structure, the third Islamic networks, but the fourth most important element in this governance is the external part. In the external the Gulf countries and particularly Saudi Arabia have got immense >> Mhm.

[00:07:19]>> leverage in this country not only by funding but by ideology. What Saudi does Pakistanis, Pakistani religious entities, the terrorists and the people will follow and Pakistan military will do what the Americans tell them to.

[00:07:33]>> Okay. No, but interestingly you mentioned that Israel will be forgotten and India would become the prime focus.

[00:07:38]So, I think for India too Uh, there is much at stake as far as this situation is concerned as always with what Pakistan's future is. It affects us directly. But, I do thank you, General Pandey, for joining us. We keep our focus though on the tensions that are once again flaring in the Gulf despite these ongoing backchannel diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.