Opposition demands clarity on Pakistan’s role in Yemen crisis

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk/Agencies) - PPP senior member and opposition leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan Monday called upon the government to take parliament into confidence about the commitments Pakistani government has made with the Saudi government.

Addressing a joint session of the parliament, Ahsan demanded the government to come up with a clear stance on Pakistan’s role in the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

“Where will our troops be deployed and who will command them,” he asked.

“Defence minister should have told us today what will be considered as threats to Saudi territorial integrity,” the senator said, adding that the government must initiate diplomatic efforts to resolve the Yemen conflict.

Pakistan, he said could play a leading diplomatic role in the Islamic world.

“We want to support the government at this difficult hour but we should be fully taken into confidence about our role,” Aitzaz said.

“Saudi Arabia needs our support and we should help it but can we ask the Saudi rulers if they will support Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline in future,” he questioned.

He dispelled the impression that there was Shia-Sunni conflict in Yemen, saying that the Arab country is facing the civil war since 1960s.

Aitzaz recalled former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had gathered the Islamic leaders under one platform in Lahore after 1973 Arab-Israel war.

“Mostly Muslims are being killed by Muslims across the Islamic World in the last decade and now is a time to introspect the reasons behind bloodshed in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan,” he said.