Leading political figures of parliamentary parties discussed in detail whether Pakistan should join the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen to beat the Houthi militia.
Islamabad — Pakistan is currently waiting for the outcome of the diplomatic efforts launched in coordination with Turkey to resolve the Yemen crisis, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said here on Tuesday.
Addressing the joint session of the Parliament convened against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s request for Pakistani naval vessels, ground troops and air support, the prime minister said the government wants parliament’s guidance on these requests and had not come for endorsement of any predetermined mandate.
Leading political figures of parliamentary parties discussed in detail whether Pakistan should join the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen to beat the Houthi militia.
The prime minister said that the Yemen issue is very sensitive. “We did not call the joint session to manipulate the mandate, “ he said, adding, that “before taking any decision we want to take the mandate of the parliament.”
He further noted that the Turkish president is currently visiting Iran, the Iranian foreign minister is coming to Islamabad on Wednesday while the Turkish president will send his representative to Pakistan in order to give briefing on his meeting with the Iranian leadership.
Sharif said he welcomed Iranian input.
“Iran should also join the discussion and evaluate whether their policy is correct or not,” Sharif said.
“In this context, the parliament’s mandate will earnestly be considered in the country’s national plan on Yemen,” he concluded.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Senator Mushahid Hussain addressing the parliament endorsed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s contention that the Yemen conflict is not a sectarian war but in fact a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“This is a Yemeni civil war and there is no doubt that we are indebted to Saudi Arabia and will protect them if their territorial integrity comes under threat,” Mushahid said.
He, however, says that Pakistan should avoid getting entangled in the Yemen conflict as it was not her war to fight.
“Yemen is like Afghanistan. It is unstable. It is like a quicksand, nobody can come out of this... there will be no winners in this conflict.”
Since 1947, Pakistan has played the negotiating role and has never taken part in any proxy or civil war, he added. “The first and foremost duty of Pakistan and its government is to protect its national security. It must first protect its own people,” he continued.
As regards sending troops into Yemen, the senator said that 40 per cent of Pakistan’s Army is involved in operations within Pakistan. Sending troops into another country’s conflict would distract our troops and become a threat to our national security.
The senator suggested that Pakistan should ask Chinese friends to ask for a ceasefire in Yemen in the United Nations and for holding dialogue and fresh elections.
Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said Pakistan should help in negotiating peace rather than taking active part in the Yemen war.
PPP’s Senator Farhatullah Babar said, “The situation in Yemen is a war between different tribes. Saudi Arabia was not attacked; it was Yemen.”
“We should not repeat the mistakes we committed in the past,” he said adding that no one would refuse Saudi Arabia’s request outright, but there was a consensus that Pakistan did not want to be part of a distant war in civil lands.
The proceedings in the joint session on Tuesday were relatively calm and orderly, unlike Monday’s session that was marred by continued heckling between parliamentarians, who spent the day settling scores with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), whose members had returned to the assembly after a seven-month absence.
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