Khashoggi’s murder, the possible beneficiaries?
Author: Nadir Baloch
A Saudi citizen and journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing on Tuesday, October 2nd 2018 after entering into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, capital of Turkey. The incident was reported by his fiancé, Hatice Cingiz, according to her statement Jamal entered into the consulate around 1:30 pm and never returned.
Disappearance got media’s attention, and the issue is now been tackled at state levels, involving, USA, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. President Trump called King Salman, about his concerns for the missing journalist, King denied any involvement of the government and said that wrongdoers will be punished if anyone was found guilty. Since the day Jamal went missing, Prince Muhammad bin Salman is being criticized and blamed. Instead of looking into the details of the matter this blame game is giving time to those who really are involved and possibly taking advantage of the disappearance? A state, a company or any individual. False allegations could be just a waste of time or could even risk the life of Jamal if he is still alive. Media reports say, the Turkish authorities have an audio and video evidence of the crime. If they have it then why it is not being shown to the media? And yet, no action has been taken?
Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) knows who is stabbing him. He took hard decisions at home against culprits putting them behind the bars which were using power and authority for corruption and misconduct. He has announced vision 2030 with a huge budget in the public and private sector to make developments for the citizens of the country. Due to his efforts, Israel and GCC are getting closer. The young prince is emerging as a progressive Nationalist leader. He stood with US and allies against the crimes of the Asad Regime. MBS is in action from March 22, 2015, against proxies of Iran in Yemen. He openly opposed Islamic radicalization, global jihad and took a stand against Qatar on June 4, 2018, for sponsoring terrorism in the region. The arms deal with US worth $100 billion on May, 20, 2017 brought more threat to countries which do not want a stable and strong middle east.
States have their own interests and they never care about human rights or killings. In this case the other side of the story also needs to be looked into. What if the ties and deals of Saudi with the US break? US President Trump has already indicated the involvement of the rogue elements. The assumed advantage will directly or indirectly help Iran, Russia, Syria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Journalists have always been the target of rogue elements and states during cold and active wars. Compromising their killings for state interests are insane, it brings fear and pain to people, families and the community. Missing Jamal Kashoggi’s case needs a transparent investigation by higher authorities but this should be on humanitarian grounds.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Balochistan Post or any of its editors.