Sir: Do the people of Pakistan have a right to know why Saudi Arabia has gifted $ 1.5 billion to Pakistan and why Finance Minister Ishaq Dar tried so hard to keep it secret? He went so far as to say during a press conference, “Why do you want to expose our friends? The country that has helped us does not want us to disclose the source.” If Saudi Arabia has given the gift, why did the Finance Minister say that the $ 1.5 billion was given to Pakistan on the personal guarantee of the Prime Minister? Why would the Saudi Royal Family not want the people of Pakistan to know that they gave the money in return for nothing from Pakistan? The real question is, what does Saudi Arabia want from Pakistan in return for their largesse? Every thoughtful Pakistani knows that no country in the world gives money to other countries without self-interest. There are no free lunches. I think Saudi Arabia wants to protect its monarchy and wants to suppress any democratic movement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani conservative and religious leadership wants to make Pakistan like Saudi Arabia, which doesn’t even allow women to drive cars. Pakistan has paid a very high price for Saudi friendship, which despite being a Muslim country has never considered Pakistanis as Muslim brothers and treats them as slaves when they happen to work there. Saudi Arabia’s hate for Irani Shias has resulted in the split in the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is also known that Saudi Arabia supports al Qaeda-affiliated groups in Syria and has supported the military dictatorship in Egypt. In Pakistan, militant groups financed by Saudi Arabia have been killing Shias. In a democracy the public has the right to know what the government is doing in its name. Our democratic government’s stance has been that they have never consulted the people while making decisions that affect our national interests. ENGR S T HUSSAIN Via Email