Why SA wanted Iran to be attacked?

In addition to the historical rivalry there is a more subtle reason. In the recent few months, we have witnessed the skirmish between SA and UAE. Then Ahmed bin Othman al-Tuwaijri, a Saudi “intellectual” published an article in which he asserted that UAE is a trojan horse of Israel https://www.al-jazirah.com/2026/20260122/fe3.htm If one is looking for a live example of the proverb "The pot calling the kettle black" than this article is the best example of it.  Who has any doubt about the relationship between SA and Israel? Contrary to the claims of the author, this article was not some independent thought of some independent “intellectual”. No one can write such an article in SA without the blessing of MBS. Why did MBS allow this article to be published? Because in the mind of MBS, UAE is trying to out smart him and as such needs to be cut down to size. MBS knows that UAE is basically a huge shopping mall and would not be able to sustain a few days of war. UAE is 88% foreign nationals, and they will fly back to their countries if the shopping mall is hit. The latest report by CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/28/middleeast/dubai-airport-uae-iran-attacks-intl-hnk states “Dubai was almost unrecognizable on Sunday. On a winter weekend – peak tourist season – the city’s beaches, malls and hotel brunches would normally be full. Instead, highways were largely empty and…..” Here is the situation of a public beach in Dubai.

SA on the other hand is huge and can sustain a few barrages of missiles and drones. This war in MBS’s mind is the proverbial, killing two birds with one stone. Directly attacking UAE, a neighbor Arab/Muslim country, would look bad. Let Israel do it, that has the added benefit of being able to show sympathy at some later appropriate time. Just like mafia boss going to the funeral of his victim and shedding tears. But what MBS does not realize or does not care is that the greater Israel project includes significant parts of SA.

Basant, Hunger Games and our religious parties

 

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent and Merciful.

This week Lahore is in the grip of Basant fever. Almost every billboard has Basant related promotion on it. Motorcycles are being fitted with protective sticks. Doctors in government medical colleges, even those teaching basic sciences, are being told to come to duty on the weekend, rooftops are being rented for millions of Rupees etc. It got me thinking about a 2012 movie “The Hunger Games”. The movie portrayed a dystopian society where the Capitol maintains power by forcing children from oppressed districts to fight to the death as televised entertainment, turning survival into spectacle. I cannot help but see the parallels in our Basant. The rich will have lavish parties with their friends and families on their rooftops and yell bo-kata after every “payche”. The children of the poor will run after the kites after every bo-kata. While pursuing the kite they may fall in open gutter (which don’t exist in our city) hit a vehicle, fight with each other as to who caught it first. In all of this, just like in the movie, they have a high probability of getting injured or even death. While they are participating in this hunger game the other side will continue enjoying its rooftop parties, completely oblivious to what is happing down below.

I don’t have any expectation from our secular parties to confront this so-called traditional festival but I expected the religious parties and the ulema to forcefully speak against it. But unfortunately, the response is not as strong as it should be. Is it the first result of the Rs 25K that the government of Punjab plans to pay to ulema? Or is there something else behind the scene? I don’t know but would like to know.