Yemen conflict: Pakistan’s commitment to Saudis still undefined

Analysts believe govt position on Saudi wish-list ‘deliberately vague’

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistani delegation visiting Saudi Arabia has reassured the kingdom of the Nawaz-led government’s support on the Yemen issue, but a meeting at the PM House convened on Thursday after the delegation’s return has failed to define the parameters of “support” promised to the Saudis.

The high-level meeting on the Yemen situation was chaired by PM Nawaz Sharif and attended by top civil and military leadership. Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, who had led the delegation, briefed the meeting about their discussions with the Saudi leadership.

Shahbaz said they had reiterated to the Saudis that Pakistan would contribute to the implementation of the UNSC resolution and discussed the possibility of expanding Pakistan’s cooperation with the kingdom in conjunction with the resolution and pursuant to paragraphs 10 and 11 of parliament’s April 10 resolution.

The meeting expressed hope that in accordance with the UNSC resolution, all Yemeni parties would resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, and all parties would take steps to agree and implement a consensus-based political solution to the Yemen crisis in accordance with the GCC initiative, its implementation mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference.



The objective of the visit to Saudi Arabia was to express solidarity with the leadership and the people of the kingdom.

The delegation met with Saudi Interior Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal.

The meeting was informed that Saudi leaders reciprocated the warmth of relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the special bond of friendship between them.

The delegation held detailed discussions with the Saudi leadership on the situation in Yemen and condemned the violent overthrow of the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi by the Houthis.

‘Deliberately vague’

The participants of the PM House meeting deliberately did not clarify the government’s position regarding the Saudi wish-list, claimed a source. “If the government were to clarify its position on the Yemen issue, it would find itself in a further complex situation.”

The government is hoping that the military leadership would make an announcement regarding the Saudi wish-list in the coming days, said the source.

“The PML-N government fears that if the Saudi requests were to be fulfilled, then PTI chief Imran Khan would protest the move and weaken the Nawaz-led party’s position to the extent that it would not only lose the upcoming LG polls but also the general elections in its core constituency of Punjab,” he claimed.

Another source said the Pakistan Army is already engaged in Waziristan and Karachi, adding that it might fulfil the Saudi demands under the banner of the UNSC resolution to maintain coordination between the two countries. “However, the civil and military leadership have decided to tread cautiously in this regard.”

Political analysts have described the government’s vague statement on the Saudi wish-list as “most dangerous” for Pakistan.

They said today’s vague press statement has not improved the perception regarding the government’s stance on the Yemen conflict.

“The statement is one-sided, issued only by Pakistan and not a joint statement with Saudi Arabia,” said an observer. “All talks between Shahbaz and the Saudis shared in the media was a one-sided version, which is not authentic.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.