Bechara: Pak senator mocks UAE on camera after being asked to repay $3 billion loan

Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, recently offered a provocative defence for repayment of its 3.5 billion dollar loan to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Framing the act as kindness instead of compulsion, Hussain said that the repayment would help the “brothers in the UAE who are in need at this moment.

“Pakistan took the right decision. Our UAE brothers are in need and helpless. We took a loan from them and will repay it in a time of crisis,” Hussain told Duniya TV in an interview.

Adding further, the former Minister of Information and Broadcasting said that Pakistan holds a moral responsibility to help the UAE, as the country has always stood firm when the nation found itself in trouble.

“Pakistan played an important role in building the UAE. We trained their armed forces. We have had good relations since the time of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (former President of the United Arab Emirates and one of the founding figures of the nation),” said Hussain.

Hussain’s comment came at a time when the UAE had asked Pakistan to repay its $3.5 billion in loans, indicating a shift in foreign policy.

HUSSAIN’S AKHAND BHARAT JIBE

The former Pak minister’s interview took a controversial turn as he took a jibe at the UAE for holding bilateral ties with India. He said that the UAE might face a demographic challenge in the upcoming time as the country is home to nearly 4.3 million Indians.

“Your population is 10 million; out of that, 4.3 million are from India. Pay attention that the friendly ties with them do not land you up as part of Akhand Bharat,” Hussain said, as reported by ANI.

In addition to this, the Pak Senator also highlighted the UAE’s role in the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Sudan, which have resulted in a crunch in the country’s finances. He also emphasised that the UAE recently gave US President Donald Trump $150 billion, which also caused problems.

- Ends