Apr 07 , 2015
News
PM Nawaz seeks Parliament guidance over Yemen
ISLAMABAD: Both houses of Parliament on Tuesday resumed for a second day a joint session to debate the crisis in Yemen and Riyadh’s request for military assistance in the Saudi-led operation against Houthi rebels.
Leaders of political parties are presenting their stance on what role Pakistan should play in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and how the country should respond to Saudi Arabia’s request for ground troops, fighter jets and navy ships.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif joined the session around noon.
Farhatullah Babar opposes sending troops to Yemen
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Farhatullah Babar urged the government to call an in-camera meeting to discuss issues related to the Yemen crisis that are suitable to be expressed in an open session being broadcast live.
He reiterated Senator Mushahid Hussain suggestion that Pakistan should learn lessons from the past before it makes a decision.
“Saudi Arabia is not under attack, Yemen is. I understand that, given our relations with Saudi Arabia, we cannot say a blunt ‘No’. But at the same time, we do not want to be part of a civil war. We do not want to send our troops to Yemen,” he said.
Babar proposed that Pakistan should instead aid Saudi Arabia in other ways.
“I propose that the government offers them training facilities, logistic support, intelligence sharing … (training for) warfare in difficult terrain, and medical relief,” he said.
“These are the kinds of areas in which we will be able to assist Saudi without going as far as sending our troops on the ground,” he said.
We do not want point scoring on Yemen issue: Shah
Opposition leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said that they did not want any political point scoring on the Yemen issue. Shahd added that Parliamentarians were not in a rush to decide on the issue and urged that the prime ministers of Pakistan and Turkey should find a solution to the crisis.
PM Sharif wants Parliament to guide govt on Yemen policy
“We want Parliament to guide us on what policy should be adopted,” said the prime minister as he addressed the session. “The government wants to make its policy based on recommendations from Parliamentarians.”
Responding to Mushahid Hussain’s recommendation to involve Turkey in the peace process, the prime minister said that Pakistan was waiting on a response from the Turkish president regarding his talks with Saudi Arabia and Iran after which the next strategy will be formulated.
Responding to questions raised by the PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsen yesterday, Sharif said that there could be no further clarification on what has already been offered by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
"This is a sensitive issue. This debate is being broadcast everywhere, both inside and outside Pakistan, and we should be careful about choosing our words," said the prime minister.
Sharif told lawmakers that he did not want to "manipulate you to get a mandate".
"Take your time, we are not in a hurry, we will take all your good points and I want the parliament also to say something about demands of our friends," he said.
Sharif met his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara on Friday and said afterwards both countries wanted a peaceful resolution to the Yemen crisis.
Sharif told parliament today that he expected these diplomatic efforts quickly to bear fruit.
"We are actually waiting for an answer, which I expect will arrive by tomorrow," he said, adding that Turkey may send its foreign minister or convey the message by phone.
"We will see what we can do after that. We might visit other Muslim countries together."
Mushahid urges Pakistan to bring Iran, Saudi Arabia to negotiation table
“This is not a sectarian conflict. Any attempt to give it a sectarian colour would be a misstatement of facts. This is a tribal struggle for power which has now unfortunately become a regional proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed.
Hussain said that the Saudis have been Pakistan’s brothers, that there was currently no threat to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, or any other area of Saudi Arabia.
“It is not in the national interest to send our troops outside Pakistan. Unless and until we settle our own house in order, we should avoid becoming part of any other conflict,” he said.
He said that Pakistan has historically played a critical role in uniting Iran and Saudi Arabia, and that the country has also played the part of a mediator in resolving conflicts in the Muslim world.
“We have never got entangled in proxy wars or civil wars in the Muslim world. Yemen is like Afghanistan – it’s an un-winnable war. There will be no winners in this conflict,” he warned.
Hussain said Pakistan should ask China to push the UN Security Council to bring a ceasefire leading to elections in Yemen.
He said that Pakistan and Turkey should also host leaders of both Saudi Arabia and Iran and try to resolve the conflict that is fast changing into a regional proxy war. “We should give the right advice to our friends, whether in Riyadh or Tehran,” he said.
He said that if the country decides to step into ‘this mess’, there may be a fallout in Pakistan as well. “If we have to make mistakes, let us not repeat our past mistakes again,” he said.
Siraj sees conspiracy behind Yemen conflict
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief said he believes that the Yemen conflict did not start out of the blue, but was part of “part of the great game”.
“First Iraq was a powerful nation, their economy was stable. But then we saw how their nation was dismantled,” he said, pointing to towards a conspiracy behind the conflict brewing in Yemen.
The JI chief said that another war in the Middle East would benefit Israel.
“Wars only benefit those who manufacture and sell weapons. To fulfill our friendship with Saudi Arabia, we will have to save it from war,” he said.
He said that protecting Saudi Arabia's territorial sovereignty is not just Pakistan’s responsibility, but the responsibility of the entire Muslim world.
Yemen crisis does not concern Pakistan: Bizenjo
The second day of debate started with National Party (NP) leader Mir Hasil Bizenjo presenting his party’s stance.
“Whatever is happening (in Yemen) should be taken in the context of the Middle East. We have been discussing this as if it is our own country. The politics of the Middle East has changed since the Arab spring. A revolution has arrived in the Middle East; we cannot stop it,” he said.
“We respect the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, but Mecca and Medina did not come with the al Saud's. It is not our responsibility to protect them.
“If the people of Saudi Arabia stand up against their own rulers tomorrow, will we shoot them down? This is war between Yemeni tribes. Pakistan has nothing to do with it,” said the leader of the National Party.
On Monday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif briefed Parliamentarians in detail about Saudi Arabia’s request, the developing situation in the Middle East, and Pakistan’s policy so far.
The first day of the session was marred by political debate and sloganeering on the return of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers to the National Assembly after resigning from their seats seven months ago.
Monday’s session was also attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who joined when Parliament resumed after a break in the evening.
Ahsan raises questions on Yemen statement
Aitzaz Ahsan said it was government who had brought PTI MNAs back to Parliament.
“A situation has been resolved. Does the defence minister want by-elections to be held in 34 constituencies?”
The senator brought attention back to the situation in Yemen. He said there was nothing concrete in the statement read out earlier by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Ahsan sought clarification on what the defence minister meant by ‘strong response.’
Mr Ahsan also asked what would be Pakistan’s response and the government needed to provide clarification. "Is the government sending the army or not," Ahsan asked.
The senator asked who would bear the cost if Pakistan provided military assistance to Saudi Arabia.
MQM walks out of session
Members of the MQM staged a token walk-out despite the insistence of NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq of them not to do so. Following the walk-out speaker Ayaz Sadiq asked members present in the join-session to go and bring back MQM workers.
Khawaja Asif says PTI MNAs should be asked about resignations
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that it was a constitutional responsibility to ask them (PTI) to stand up and ask them one by one about their resignations.
“They should be asked if they have resigned,” Asif said while speaking to the National Assembly speaker.
Asif further said that PTI should show some morals as they had been abusing the same Parliament they were now part of.
Farooq Sattar addresses session
MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar addressed the joint-session of Parliament and said the presence of 'strangers' affected the constitutionality of the Parliament.
Commotion in the House
The session started around 11:45 am, but was marred by shouting and chanting of slogans from some lawmakers.
“I will have no choice but to adjourn the proceedings for 15 minutes. Please don’t make me do that,” said the NA Speaker when the shouting did not stop.
Prime minister urged to attend discussion
“This is a victory for democracy if PTI members have returned to Parliament now,” said Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah.
He said that if lawmakers of the PML-N had to protest, they should protest against its own government as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had brought the PTI lawmakers back to the House.
“We are discussing a very important issue today. A message will be conveyed if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also present in the House,” said Shah.
“I propose that we may adjourn the session for an hour so that the prime minister can also be part of this session. If the prime minister is also here, it will raise the importance of the session,” he said.
Khawaja Asif said that the prime ministers meeting with the Sri Lankan president was pre-scheduled.
He said that the prime minister had engagements until 3:30 pm and that would hopefully participate in the discussion afterwards.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that consensus could be developed between the government and the opposition on the issue.
“These are state activities. SAARC and Sri Lanka both have their importance. All leaders will speak on this issue. This session may go on for one or two days,” he said.
He proposed that the prime minister attend the session after getting done with his prior engagement with the Sri Lankan president.
Both sides eventually agreed that the defence minister would brief the House on developments in the Middle East, and then the House would be adjourned until 5:00 pm so the prime minister may also be able to attend the session.
Defence minister briefs House on Yemen crisis
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif briefed the House on the developments in Yemen, progress on evacuation of Pakistani nationals and Saudi Arabia’s request for military assistance from Pakistan.
He said the situation in Yemen had been deteriorating the last few weeks and raised several implications for Pakistan and the whole region.
Asif added that given the gravity of the situation and democratic traditions, PM Nawaz decided that the subject merits in-depth reflection in Parliament and this will help the government to reach decisions in national interests which are based on consensus.
The government’s priority was to ensure the safety of Pakistanis and PM Nawaz monitored the evacuation personally. A crisis cell was formed at the Ministry to Foreign Affairs for coordination of evacuation. “We rose to the expectations’ of our nation and successfully evacuated our nationals.”
Asif thanked the support provided by the government of Saudi Arabia for assistance in evacuation. He thanked China which also providing assistance.
'Unflinching commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty'
The minister said the government’s policy had been consistent that Pakistan would not let Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty be threatened. Asif said that the prime minister had communicated this several times to the Saudi leadership.
“The prime minister emphasised that Pakistan attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia,” Asif said.
He said that Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan for ground troops, fighter jets and navy ships.
“We reiterated our unflinching and unwavering commitment to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Any violation of Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity would evoke strong response from Pakistan,” he said.
"This was our stance from the beginning and this is what we said on our delegation’s visit to Riyadh.”
Iran foreign minister to visit Pakistan
He said that PM Sharif had also visited Turkey last week and that both countries held similar stances on the issue.
He said that both countries agreed that continued crisis in Yemen could push the region into turmoil. Pakistan and Turkey consider Saudi Arabia as a ‘brother’ and vowed to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Pakistan and Turkey agreed that it is in our interest to keep region free from turmoil,” he said.
He said that Pakistan had taken an initiative to restore peace in the region.
In this regard, the Turkish president would visit Iran, while the Iranian foreign minister would visit Pakistan on April 8, he said.
At the end of his briefing, he reiterated that any decision by Pakistan would be taken with the consent on Parliament.
“Decisions will be according to the wishes of people of Pakistan. The government will greatly appreciate guidance from elected representatives of Pakistan,” Khawaja Asif said.
The minister also spoke of sacrifices rendered by our soldiers in the ongoing war on terrorism. Asif added that the Pakistan army was the only army which was battling terrorism head on.
The session was adjourned until 5:00 pm following the defence minister's briefing.
Lawmakers arrive at Parliament
Speaking to reporters before the start of the session, Awami National League (AML) leader Sheikh Rasheed remarked that the decision to send Pakistani troops was up to Army chief General Raheel Sharif.
“If Saudi Arabia faces difficult times, every single Pakistani child will stand with them,” he said
Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Khald Maqbool Siddiqui said that his party opposes sending Pakistani soldiers to Saudi Arabia.
He said that Pakistan should instead play the role of a mediator in resolving the conflict in Yemen.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the kind of friends that have stood the test of time and have helped each other in their hour of need.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Taj Haider said that third world countries cannot bear the burden of war.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said his party has a very clear policy on the matter
“Saudi Arabia has helped Pakistan in difficult times; not only in war time but also when the earthquake hit Pakistan. Pakistan should also help Saudi Arabia in their hour of need,” said Elahi.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who led the delegation to Riyadh, said last week that 1000 Pakistani troops are already in Saudi Arabia, but parliament will decide what role Pakistan should play in Yemen conflict.
A statement from the PM’s office last week said that any breach of Saudi “territorial integrity” would meet a “strong response” from Pakistan. It also condemned “actions by non-state actors in Yemen to overthrow a legitimate government”.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk