Riyadh conveyed its resentment through a letter to President Asif Zardari, demanding restoration of the areas traditionally allocated to Saudi Arabia but given to the United Arab Emirates last year and to a large extent this year as well.
The issue, largely a matter of prestige for the princes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, has aggravated into a diplomatic row between Islamabad and Riyadh because of what knowledgeable circles here term indifference of the leadership to an issue deemed sensitive in the two Arab countries.
Well-placed sources said that President Zardari, realising that the matter provided an opportunity to return the favours of UAE friends took personal interest in the allocation of hunting zones, most of which went to dignitaries from the UAE, mainly Abu Dhabi.
The sources said that the award of permits disappointed the Saudis who thought that Pakistan had learnt the lesson for annoying the royal family last year and would not repeat the mistake this time.
Upset by the allocation of the hunting areas last year, Saudi Arabia ignored a number of requests for assistance made by Islamabad, including one for oil supply on deferred payment. At Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum, the Saudis acted at the best as reluctant friends. However, towards the later part of the year, particularly after new Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Al Ghadeer took charge in Islamabad, things began to improve and there were signs of improvement, including the possible revival of the joint ministerial commission and expeditious disbursement of the aid pledged at the FoDP. Diplomatic sources now fear that the process may not bear fruit anytime soon.
The Saudi message for the presidency, the sources said, was quite clear that the kingdom, which had always stood by Pakistan in times of difficulty, did not take the matter lightly. Pakistan is learnt to have offered alternate hunting zones to Saudi dignitaries, but the latter insisted that their original areas be allocated to them.The authorities here are, however, optimistic and believe that although the Saudis would maintain their pressure on Islamabad they wouldn't take the differences to a level where it might get out of control.
Although few people here aware of the agenda of Ms Faryal Talpur's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia as special envoy of the president, but senior diplomats believe that it has got something to do with the problem over the award of hunting permits. The visit, they say, was planned at the initiative of the presidency which decided to keep the quarters handling the issue out of the process.
When asked to comment on the issue, Ambassador Ghadeer said it was for the government of Pakistan to grant permits and being guests the Saudis had no grievances over the matter.
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