Pakistan’s airport deal canceled after UAE President’s short visit to India. Additionally, the UAE President has also approved the release of 900 Indian prisoners, which is being seen as a major goodwill gesture towards New Delhi.
New Delhi: A few days ago, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan suddenly visited India. They came to India around 1:30 pm and returned by 6 pm. In this visit of just three hours, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There was a lot of curiosity about the reason behind his such a short visit. Now it seems that this meeting has had a deep impact on the geopolitical equations of South Asia. Because, immediately after this meeting, Pakistan has suffered a big blow. After Sheikh Nahyan’s three-hour visit, Abu Dhabi has canceled its plan to take over the management of Islamabad International Airport. This was a deal that was under negotiation through August 2023.
Pakistan confirms cancellation of deal
This news has also been confirmed by Pakistani publication ‘The Express Tribune’. The plan was put on hold after the UAE lost interest in the project and also failed to name a local partner to outsource the operations, the report said. Pakistani media reports say that there is no political reason for the cancellation of this deal. But this decision has come at a time when the rift between UAE and Saudi Arabia is increasing. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, once the Gulf’s closest allies, are at loggerheads over their support for rival groups in Yemen.
Islamabad has signed a defense pact with Riyadh and wants to create an “Islamic NATO” with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. On the other hand, UAE has signed new defense agreements with India. Saudi Arabia is also dependent on Pakistan’s military expertise, while the UAE has signed new defense agreements with India.
Pakistan-UAE relations
About 4 decades ago, UAE was one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a major source of remittances from abroad. Thousands of Pakistanis worked there in different fields. Both countries had cooperated in defence, energy and investment projects. But, over the years, relations have deteriorated due to security concerns, licensing disputes and aging infrastructure in Pakistan.
A recent report said that Pakistan’s government enterprises are suffering huge losses due to poor governance and mismanagement due to political interference, after which they are sold at low prices. Last year, Islamabad privatized its Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Although the UAE has experience in managing airports in challenging environments like Afghanistan, its move to withdraw from Islamabad airport shows that it has no confidence in Pakistan.