President Zardari just conducted a whirlwind tour of important Muslim countries; he visited Afghanistan and Iran – important neighbors and sources of international concern – as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a staunch and dependable ally of Pakistan.
While official quarters deny it, Pakistan appears to be playing a more assertive role in the region as well as in the Muslim world at large. In the aftermath of the “Arab Spring”, after dictators were peacefully removed in Egypt and Tunisia, violent uprisings took place in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya that have yet to dislodge the autocrats against whom popular agitation is taking place. With special emphasis on Bahrain – where Pakistani private security companies are alleged to have sent contractors and mercenaries on missions authorized by the Bahraini kingdom – Pakistan appears to, according to STRATFOR analyst Kamran Bokhari, have consolidated its interests in its immediate region.
