Saudi Arabia, which falls in the super heavyweight category in the Islamic world, is flashing blaring signs that it completely backs India’s new innings in Jammu and Kashmir, following New Delhi’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which anchored the state’s “special status”.

Riyadh’s move has had a seismic impact in the Muslim world in India’s favour, outgunning the moves by Pakistan and Turkey to dock New Delhi for its fateful move on August 5, 2019.

If there was any doubt that Pakistan and Turkey’s anti-Modi campaign had collapsed, it was amply clarified during last week’s visit to the Kingdom by Pakistan’s powerful military chief, Javed Qamar Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Prior to the visit, even Pakistan seemed to have accepted that it had lost the anti-India campaign on Kashmir. In return for reading the tea leaves right, it seemed to have accepted a path that would lead to a consummate dialogue with India, where a win-win outcome was not ruled out. This was to be a follow-up of the revival of the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control.

Also Read: Not Kashmir but economy likely to top Bajwa's agenda in Saudi Arabia

In tune with the peace-script,  Pakistan’s foreign minister had told a local Pakistani television channel that Article 370 abrogation was India’s “internal matter”. But soon after the visit to the Kingdom the Pakistan’s non-military leaders went back to the well-worn script of restoring  status quo.  Nevertheless, the flip-flop by Islamabad itself is a definite signal that the Pakistani establishment is experiencing a massive churn, lagging significantly behind Gen. Bajwa’s strategic lead of revisiting the India-Pakistan and triggering a geopolitical mutation of the entire region.

During the composite visit of the Pakistani leadership, the Kingdom once again made it plain to the Pakistanis that Riyadh’s neutral stand over Kashmir was there to stay.

In a joint statement, the Saudi Crown Prince “welcomed the recent understanding reached between the military authorities of Pakistan and India regarding ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC), which is based on a 2003 understanding between Pakistan and India and emphasised the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially Jammu and Kashmir issue, to ensure peace and stability in the region”.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, his government has forged special and realigned relationship with Saudi Arabia, generating a massive rift in ties between Riyadh and Islamabad. The gap became almost unbridgeable after the Kingdom decided not to heed Pakistan's demand to call a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC, led by Saudi Arabia) to discuss the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's original political status by the Modi government.

The Saudis also denied permission to the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah to organise Kashmir black day programs on October 27 last year.

Analysts say that the views of the crown prince, Mohamed bin Sultan (MBS) are not based on a religious agenda of supporting Wahhabism. Instead, he seeks economic development under 'Vision 2030'. In that Riyadh, like many countries in the Gulf, sees India as an important player to secure their collective national interests.

Observers point out that Saudi Arabia’s abiding interests in India, reflected in support for Modi’s bid to re-lay the fundamentals in Kashmir, are evident in an article, published after Imran Khan’s latest visit, published in the Saudi Gazette, one of the largest, and most read newspapers in the Kingdom.

The daily categorically states that a new era of development, opportunity, hope and prosperity has begun in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

It points out that the democratic machinery in J&K has been strengthened, especially the three-tier local governance model by holding elections to Block Development Councils and District Development Councils, after the abrogation of Article 370. The “Panchayati Raj” system has been strengthened through the devolution of functions and funds of more than $200 million in 2020 for efficient grassroots governance,” have been released.

The daily praised India’s efforts to create opportunities for citizens to transform the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into a secular, decentralized, and a diverse region as well as to ensure all-inclusive development, efficient governance, socio-economic justice for disadvantaged sections of the society as well as quantum improvement in the lives of all in the UT without any discrimination.

Detailing the progress being made in different sector, the Saudi Gazette says that various central laws have been successfully implemented including those designed to protect and promote social, economic, and political rights of women, children, and the underprivileged, such as the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, the Protection of Human Rights Act 1994, the Right to Information Act 2005. The Official Language Bill 2020, and new domicile rules for the union territory are also similar steps ahead in this direction.

The daily further writes about the infrastructure development in J&K where more than 500 projects worth more than $80 million have been completed, and more than 2,000 projects worth nearly $800 million have been approved. Jammu and Srinagar are being developed as modern and sustainable smart cities, in which 190 projects worth more than $900 million are planned.

In the education sector, the largest expansion in J&K in 70 years has been made by establishing 50 new educational institutions offering 25,000 seats to students. More than half a million students have so far taken advantage of a number of government scholarship schemes — a four-fold increase over the number during the previous year.

The paper says the UT authorities have stepped up their efforts to tackle the situation at par with other worst-hit parts of the country in terms of boosting healthcare infrastructure and vaccination. Seventeen dedicated COVID-19 hospitals have already been set up which provide adequate facilities in terms of ICU beds and availability of oxygen for coronavirus-affected patients, a 500 LPM oxygen plant at Chanapora has been set up. Srinagar is one of 16 districts in the country that has been recognized for best practices in the management of the pandemic.

Applauding the efforts being made by the Modi government, the paper says that the government is fully committed to working with organizations, private players and other responsible agencies to create a positive environment to promote tourism, education, infrastructure, healthcare, skill development and entrepreneurship in the valley.