No decision made to participate in Yemen conflict: defence minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not yet made any decision to participate in the conflict brewing in Yemen and the Middle East, the defence minister told Parliament on Friday after Riyadh asked Islamabad to join the coalition of countries battling Yemen rebels.

The country is ready to defend Saudi Arabia’s “territorial integrity” but not to escalate any conflict, said Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, saying Pakistan was not prepared to take part in a conflict that would divide the Muslim world on sectarian lines.

“We don’t want to be part of any proliferation, we will try to contain it,” he said.

“No such decision will be taken which may result in (adverse) effects in 5, 10 or 20 years,” Khawaja Asif assured Parliamentarians.

“The concerns expressed by Khursheed Shah, and I assure everyone else: we have not decided or promised to participate in this war. We have only pledged to protect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he told Parliamentarians.

"If, God forbid, any such situation arises, we will protect Saudi Arabia and we have also conveyed this (to Saudi Arabia),” he said.

The defence minister’s policy statement came as day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, following a high level civil-military meeting, announced that Pakistan would respond to any threats posed to Saudi Arabia’s security.

“Pakistan enjoys close and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and attaches great importance to their security,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying during the meeting, also attended by the country’s army chief, air force chief and defence minister.

Sharif said any threat to Saudi Arabia would “evoke a strong response” from Islamabad.

The top-level meeting had also decided to dispatch a top civil-military delegation – comprising Khawaja Asif, Sartaj Aziz and other top military figures – to Riyadh on Friday.

However, a spokesperson for the foreign office said on Friday that the scheduled trip of the delegation to Riyadh had been postponed. The spokesperson did not elaborate on the reason of the postponement.

Saudi Arabia and a coalition of regional allies launched air strikes against Huthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday, the start of a military operation to protect the government.

Yemen has been gripped by growing turmoil since Huthi rebels launched a power takeover in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in February and are now fighting in the port city of Aden.