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Yemen imbroglio: Pakistan mulls limited mission for Saudi security
By Kamran Yousaf / Abdul Manan
Published: April 1, 2015
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Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is greeted on his arrival in Riyadh by his Saudi counterpart Prince Mohammad bin Salman al Saud. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan will consider deploying only a ‘limited number of its troops’ inside Saudi Arabia if the oil-rich kingdom’s territorial integrity and sovereignty comes under threat in the wake of any backlash against its intervention in Yemen.
The offer was understood to have been made by a high-powered Pakistani delegation during its talks in Riyadh on Tuesday, said an official familiar with the development.
The delegation, headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, is in the Saudi capital to assess the current situation in Yemen and discuss the assistance that Pakistan could possibily extend. Other members of the delegation include Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Ashfaq Nadeem, Director General Military Operations Maj Gen Amir Riaz and senior officials from Pakistan’s air force and navy.
The composition of the delegation suggests that Pakistan is ready to meet the defence requirements of Saudi Arabia in the current situation. The delegation was received by Saudi Defence Minister Muhammad Salman, who later held talks with Pakistani officials.
The delegation is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, as well as representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on the Yemeni crisis.
Pakistan is reluctant to commit troops for the Saudi-led military coalition against Houthi rebels as it fears the move would complicate its relationship with neighbouring Iran. Tehran is believed to have already voiced its concerns and urged Islamabad to stay away from the Middle East crisis. On Monday, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi told a private news channel that Islamabad would not become part of any ‘proxy war’ between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the civil and military leadership decided not to join the military coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen for the time being and instead launch a diplomatic offensive to facilitate a political solution to the crises.At the same time, they agreed that if the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia comes under threat, then Pakistan will extend all possible help including deployment of troops.
But even in that case Pakistan may offer the services of only a limited number of troops to be deployed within Saudi borders in order to safeguard its key strategic installations. “The nature of deployment, if any, will be for security purposes and not for any combat operation outside the Saudi border,” explained the official.
Meeting at PM House
Earlier, the delegation’s departure for Riyadh was preceded by a brainstorming session at the Prime Minister House where the agenda of talks in Saudi Arabia was finalised. Sources told The Express Tribunethat the delegation has a two-pronged agenda: political and military.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the premier’s top aide on foreign policy Sartaj Aziz will follow the political agenda, while the top military officials in the delegation will discuss the military aspect. The prime minister has approved the objectives of the delegation and empowered it to decide on the plans chalked out by the concerned authorities for helping the Saudis.
Sources said Asif and Aziz would meet their Saudi counterparts and senior officials of the OIC in Jeddah. This is in line with Monday’s decision of the government that it would call upon the OIC, UN and the international community to play their constructive role in finding a political solution to the Yemen imbroglio.
Lt Gen Nadeem and Maj Gen Amir Riaz would assess the situation and find out what the Saudi authorities expect from Pakistan. They would gather details of the Saudi military requirements, including the number of troops, necessary military hardware, coordination of troops and deployment areas. After assessing the situation, the delegation would return home and brief the prime minister on their assessment and interactions with the Saudi authorities.
According to an official statement issued after the meeting, the participants reiterated that Pakistan holds Saudi Arabia in very high esteem and considers the security of the holy land of utmost importance. “Any violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Saudi Arabia will evoke a strong reaction from Pakistan, according to the aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” it added.
Attendees at the meeting included Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, Sartaj Aziz, Tariq Fatemi and other senior officials.
Evacuation of Pakistanis from Yemen
Premier Nawaz vowed to leave no stone unturned in the effort to ensure the safe exit of Pakistanis trapped in Yemen. He was speaking during a briefing given to him on the latest situation of Pakistanis in Yemen.
The prime minister was informed that a Chinese ship reaching Aden tomorrow (Wednesday) would pick up around 200 Pakistanis from there. Depending on on-ground conditions and route of the Chinese ship, these people would be dropped either at Djibouti or at Moqalla, where around 100 Pakistanis are already living and is peaceful at the moment.
Pakistan’s own naval ship would reach Yemen on April 2 to bring these people back to the country. There still are about 75 Pakistanis in Sana’a, who would soon be airlifted or taken safely to Mukalla port.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2015.
