Joint parliament session: PM advises caution in Yemen debate

Says such delicate matters should be debated in-camera

ISLAMABAD:

An open house debate on what Saudi Arabia expects from Pakistan in its ‘Yemen mission’ is fraught with diplomatic implications – at least that is what the prime minister thinks. And this is why he offered – though not explicitly – a closed-door briefing to federal lawmakers on the matter that has been baffling them since Saudi Arabia first said that Islamabad has acquiesced to join the military alliance against the Houthi insurrection in Yemen.

The ongoing joint session of parliament, which has been convened to debate Pakistan’s possible policy vis-à-vis the Yemen crisis, witnessed some speeches critical of the Saudi military adventure, which might have put the government ill at ease.

“The explanation given by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is more than enough, as it is necessary for the lawmakers to be careful on this issue. It is not appropriate to discuss all matters [publicly] here [in parliament]. Usually, we pore over such issues behind closed doors and at all-party conferences,” the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, told the lawmakers on Monday.

Taking the veil off the Saudi wish-list on Sunday, the defence minister told parliament that Riyadh has asked for military troops, warplanes and navy vessels to join the coalition seeking to quell the Houthi rebellion against President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Nonetheless, he said, parliament and not the government will decide whether or not Pakistan should commit troops to Saudi Arabia.



The opposition was unconvinced with Asif’s ‘inconclusive and ambiguous’. They wanted more ‘clarity’. However, the government says it’s not possible to give minuscule details on a public forum. “Let me clarify that it is not possible to explain details of this issue here,” he said, counselling lawmakers not to expect anything beyond the ‘policy statement’ read out by the defence minister.

Nevertheless, he promised that his government would not hide anything from parliament. “We are waiting for the outcome of the Turkish leadership’s meetings with Iranian and Saudi leadership,” he said, referring to Ankara’s diplomatic push for a political solution to the Yemen imbroglio.

He reiterated that his government has not taken any decision about joining the Saudi-led military alliance. “We are waiting for input from those in parliament – and we’ll definitely incorporate their suggestions in our final policy on the Yemen crisis,” he added. Apart from parliament, the government is also in touch with the military brass on this issue.

Gulf states look at the Houthi rebellion as a ‘proxy war’ of an increasingly assertive Iran which, they believe, is seeking to expand its political clout in the Gulf region and beyond. In his address, Premier Nawaz called upon Tehran to help find a political solution to the crisis.  “Iran should also join discussions and evaluate whether its policy is correct,” he added.

It was the second day of the joint parliamentary session. And so far, all lawmakers have disfavoured the idea of sending troops to Yemen to fight the Saudi war there.

Alluding to a shuttle diplomatic initiative collectively launched by Islamabad and Ankara, the prime minister said the two countries would also consult the leaderships of Indonesia and Malaysia on how to defuse the explosive situation in Yemen. However, he added that Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia if its territorial integrity was violated, though currently “there appears to be no such threat”.

Before the prime minister’s speech, leader of a top politico-religious party advised the government to play the role of a lead negotiator and broker rapprochement between the warring sides in order to resolve the ‘sponsored crisis’ in Yemen. “If this war is allowed to intensify in the name of sects, then it will have serious implications for the entire Muslim world,” said Sirajul Haq, the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami.

After a brief recess when the house reconvened PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar took the floor and called for concrete suggestions for the government on how to respond to the Saudi wish-list. “We will be able to honour their request to a certain extent, but Pakistan should not allow itself to be sucked into a war in a distant land,” he added.

PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed told the lawmakers that it was not a sectarian war but 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 the kingdom if its territorial integrity comes under threat,” he said.

Since 1947, Pakistan has played the role of a negotiator 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.”

On the question of sending troops to Yemen, Senator Sayed said 40% of Pakistan’s military was engaged in fighting homegrown terrorists. “Sending our troops into another country’s conflict will distract them which will result in threats to our own security,” he said. Senator Sayed suggested that Pakistan ask the Chinese leadership to use its good offices to broker a ceasefire in the region.


Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2015.