A joint sitting of the two houses of parliament will begin today. The only talking point is a crucial foreign policy decision: should Pakistan join the Saudi-led
military coalition to quell the Houthis rebellion against President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen?
Major opposition groups, including the PPP and PTI, are quite vocal in their opposition to actively jumping into the Yemen fray. Instead they want Pakistan to play peace broker in the Arabian Peninsula. Other smaller opposition parties share their views.
Cognizant of the opposition’s concerns, the government summoned the joint session of parliament after a flurry of civil-military huddles over the past few days to devise a strategy on the conflict. The Saudis are pushing Pakistan to militarily join the fight against Houthi rebels who took control of large swathes of territory in the war-torn country.
Initially, Pakistan had indicated its willingness to join the Saudi-led military coalition of Gulf States but decided to refer the matter to the parliament since it carries huge implications.
On March 26, the country’s top civil and military leadership dropped a broad hint that Pakistan might join the alliance. In a statement the civil and military leadership concluded that “any threat to Saudi Arabia would evoke a strong response from Pakistan”. But three days later another high-level huddle decided to launch a diplomatic offensive to resolve the crisis politically instead of committing troops for the Yemen mission.
The change of heart is attributed to the fact that the government’s earlier move to join the Saudi alliance had put hundreds of Pakistanis, who were at that time stranded in Yemen, at a greater risk.
Background interviews with officials familiar with the consultations told The Express Tribune that the Foreign Office advised the government to pursue a ‘cautious approach’ instead of becoming a party to the Yemen conflict.
One official, who asked to remain anonymous, disclosed that the foreign ministry was opposed to joining the Saudi-led military alliance. The official, who was part of the regular consultations, said it was premature to conclude if troops would be sent to Yemen. However, he added that troops could be deployed inside Saudi Arabia if its territorial integrity and sovereignty came under threat.
A high-level delegation, comprising Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, PM Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz as well as senior officials of the three armed forces, traveled to Saudi Arabia last week to discuss their ‘wish-list.’ It is believed that Riyadh has sought both material and manpower from Pakistan to counter the threat posed by Houthi rebels.
Riyadh has even indicated that Pakistan is all set to join the military alliance. The image of the Saudi Defence Ministry’s briefing showing Pakistani flag along with flags of other Gulf States has given credence to reports that Islamabad might soon join the alliance.
Troops or no troops for Saudis: parliament decides today - The Express Tribune
As MQM and PTI are opposing it from day one let's see what ruling party decide as they have enough majority in NA to pass any bill.
we should stay away its best option
100% rite
