At stake is country’s standing as a democratic nation
Both Saudi and Western media have consistently maintained that the Pakistan government has already pledged support to the Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Islamabad has taken the stand that it has yet to reach a decision. A perception has arisen that the government is only completing formalities to announce entering the war. Many think that Pakistan’s interests demand that it act as a neutral arbiter rather than a partisan. Reportedly a decision to participate in the Gulf war was taken at a high level meeting on Friday. It was also reported that the government was keen to put newly acquired JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to test in Yemen. If true this would be a highly cynical thinking reflecting a mentality for which the US is often condemned.
To show that the government had consulted friendly Muslim countries before jumping into the war, the PM is going to Turkey which is also critical of Iran’s policies. Unless Sharif also makes a trip to consult Iran, a perception could be formed that he is giving priority to the sectarian factor in relations with the Muslim countries.
The government has decided to convene a joint session of Parliament on April 6 to debate the Yemen conflict. It would be useful if an APC was also called before the session as was done to create a prior consensus over the National Action Plan (NAP) in December last year. The demand for the APC was voiced at a joint meeting presided over by Asif Zardari and attended by PPP, ANP, MQM and JUI-F. The parliamentary debate would pose a test for the opposition also. The Yemen issue seems to have created differences even in the PPP where the statements issued by party leaders are not in complete consonance with the position taken by Zardari.
The Parliament carries the burden of grave responsibility. What is at stake is the stability of the country. The Yemen war must not be allowed to ignite sectarian fires in Pakistan or compromise the democratic image of the state.
