Pak role in Yemen turmoil

By Ali Sukhanver

The international media is doing its utmost to portray the Saudi-Yemen conflict as a sectarian conflict between the Shia and Sunni sects and it is also being propagated that these two sects are being supported by Iran and Saudia respectively. The matter of fact is that the conflict in Yemen has nothing to do with the sectarian conflict. It is purely an internal affair of Yemen which could be harmful to Saudi Arab at some stage as these two countries share a very long border. Yemen enjoys the same strategic position in the Middle East which Afghanistan enjoys in the South Asia.

For so many decades Yemen is facing a situation of internal turmoil. The nature of this turmoil is purely socio-political. This is for the first time that this conflict is being introduced as a sectarian conflict, allegedly because of Iranian support to the Houthis. According to various reports; Yemen had to pass through the same type of conflict in 1962 also. The Egyptians supported the Yemen government with seventy thousand troops against the Houthis. The Houthis Tribes are the 40% of Yemeni population. On the other hand the Houthis were secretly supplied weapons by Israel to fight against the Egyptians in 1960s. Since then this politico-religious movement of the Houthis took a violent shape under the title of Ansarullah.

After the creation of Ansarullah different local, regional and international forces got the opportunity of playing devilish politics in Yemen. By working on the same strategy, the anti-Islamic forces have succeeded in weakening various Islamic countries. Most of the Middle East countries have been weakened by world powers through economic sanctions, civil strife and military attacks. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has yet not fallen a prey to this devilish international politics. Now the international forces have concentrated all their attention upon the destabilization of KSA. 

The only aim and objective of the Yemen conflict is to create disturbance in Saudi Arab. For Pakistan both the countries are very dear but the relationship with Saudi Arab is no doubt more close and brotherly cordial but that does not mean Pakistan’s relationship with Yemen is based on any kind of hostility or enmity. Just at the beginning of the Saudi-Yemen turmoil, some of the political sections in Pakistan were of the opinion that Pakistan must send its military troops to Saudi Arab in case the Houthis rebels try to cross over the Saudi boundaries; fortunately it did not happen. However the political and military high-ups of Pakistan kept watching the situation and very wisely decided not to become a part of it by sending its forces to crush the Houthis. Now things are getting better, let us hope for the best.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Army Chief visited Saudi Arab to look at the situation personally and to make the Saudi government realise that Pakistan is always on their beck and call. Pakistan has always played a key role in unifying the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is a brotherly country and people of Pakistan hold them in high esteem but at the same time Pakistan has good relationship with Yemen too. Instead of jumping into a war between two Muslim countries, Pakistan must try to bring durable peace between the two countries through negotiations.