On Jan. 6, Pakistan’s media regulatory authority warned television channels to be “cautious” while covering the diplomatic standoff between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sparked by the kingdom’s decision to execute Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Jan. 2, stating that programming should not jeopardize bilateral relations or enflame sectarian sentiment. Even for a regulator that has long been criticized for censoring content at the behest of the government and military, this attempt to shape political debate about external developments was heavy-handed, earning the disdain of Pakistan’s vocal Twitterati. The attempt, though clumsy, revealed Pakistan’s anxiety about juggling bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, its long-time ally, and Iran, its western neighbor, while managing internal sectarian dynamics that are subject to these external ties.
Pakistan’s balancing act will be a key factor in cooling — or fueling — tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. As the only nuclear-armed, Muslim-majority country in the world, Pakistan would make a powerful ally in the context of the intensifying sectarian showdown in the Middle East. A clear Pakistani tilt toward Saudi Arabia could even rekindle Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, undermining the gains of last summer’s deal between Iran and the P5+1 to dismantle the former’s nuclear program.
