‘Policy statement’: PPP backs Saudi intervention in Yemen

Rehman Malik says Riyadh has always supported Pakistan in times of trouble

KARACHI: Contrary to the public statements of its senior leader Syed Khursheed Shah on the Yemen turmoil, the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Sunday endorsed the Saudi-led military action against Houthi rebels and said it would support all actions to protect the oil-rich kingdom and restore democracy in Sana’a.

“In view of the historic relationship Pakistan has had with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the PPP stands by the GCC and Saudi Arabia and supports the military operation in order to… restore political process in Yemen,” former interior minister and PPP Senator Rehman Malik told a news conference while reading from what he called a ‘policy statement from PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’.



“It is grave concern for the PPP to notice the ongoing development in Yemen which has now taken a dangerous course… Houthi militants with the force of arms are undermining the legitimate authority of the democratically elected government of Yemen,” Malik said.

“The PPP has closely watched the developments in the Middle East, especially the deadly attacks of the [Houthi] militia all over Yemen and has also closely followed the diplomatic efforts made by the GCC with the international community to support Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi,” he read from the statement.

“We stand with our brothers from the GCC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and endorse their action in Yemen to restore democracy in accordance with our national policy and historical responsibilities and commitment towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Senator Malik added. He said the PPP could not support the Houthi rebels which have no legitimacy and have established a missile system targeted towards the Saudi territory.

The policy statement read out by Senator Malik clearly contradicts the public statements of other senior leaders of the party, including leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah and Sherry Rehman. Shah, while speaking in the National Assembly last week stressed the need for unity in the Muslim world.

“The Pakistani government should pursue the policy of ‘Amn Karo, Laro Matt [restore peace, don’t fight],” he said. Referring to the diplomacy of PPP’s founding chairman ZA Bhutto, he said: “[In this conflict] we favour the role of lead negotiator for Pakistan.”

Interestingly, a spokesman for Bilawal House said he was not aware of any ‘policy statement’ given by the PPP co-chairperson. “The statements of Asif Ali Zardari are either issued by Senator Farhtullah Babar or the media cell of Bilawal House. We cannot confirm that it is PPP’s policy statement,” Jameel Soomro, the media coordinator at Bilawal House, told The Express Tribune.

The development came a day after the state-run Saudi news agency claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assured Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who phoned him Friday night, of “all potentials of the Pakistan Army”. The PPP has asked the government to seek parliamentary approval before committing troops for the conflict.

Senator Malik said that the federal government has yet not contacted the PPP leadership on the Yemen issue. “Co-chairman Asif Zardari is ready to play the role of mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran as was done by ZA Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto in the past,” he said.

He said Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan in delicate times and now Islamabad would not leave Riyadh alone in the face of a crisis.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2015.