What would we have got?
History repeats itself again and again. And we have a history of learning nothing from history. We are good at repeating our blunders which seems have no end. Repeating its role of rent-an-army, it seems, Pakistan once again came close to playing the mercenary-role, this time in the Saudi Arabia-led ten-nation offensive on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Does it surprise anyone? Sources in the government say the decision had been taken even before the joint session, even though it did not quite come up to the government’s expectation.
The international and Arabian media had been telling us about Pakistan’s pledge to join the war expedition into Yemen since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been given a red-carpet welcome in Riyadh in first week of March. It was intriguing that the newly crowned Saudi monarch, King Salman, came to the airport to greet Sharif. This meant something big was coming Pakistan’s way.
Since the media reports were suggesting that Pakistan was going to jump into fire again, it was claimed that Nawaz Sharif had given full assurance to join forces to conquer Yemen. Even Pakistani flag was placed visibly among the ten-nation coalition flags backstage whenever the Saudi officials briefed the media on the ongoing airstrikes of the coalition forces.
On electronic and print media outlets, historians and analysts were warning the government not to join the inferno in Yemen and rather to focus on efforts to purge the country of its homegrown terrorists.
Social media has become a hub for people to express their anger at the government’s greed. The Arab blaze has already eaten away parts of Libya, Iraq and Syria. And Egypt is already involved. What is the need for Pakistan to jump into the inferno?
Politicians and army are telling us to be pragmatic the way every state takes decisions in their own interest, Pakistan needs to take decisions in its national interest too. But they are short of words when asked what we got from our role in Afghan war?
Yes, some generals became filthy rich as was the case with our political elite who also grabbed whatever was left-over but what did the people get? We got a bunch of extremist groups who were given a license to kill in the name of God. We got mercenaries roaming around in our streets hunting so-called ‘non-believers’? We got mushroom growth of radicalised madrassas where innocent children were taught hatred.
In a bid to understand the Saudi Arabian quest into Yemen, one needs to understand that it is neither a war between Sunnis and Shia’, nor is it about Iran. Rather, the strategic location of Yemen brings it to focus for super power America as well as Saudi Arabia.
Control over the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is the real bone of contention between the Saudi regime and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The strategic strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The strait is important as world’s most important shipments cross this strait. Chinese trade is the biggest followed by other countries. The city of Aden in southern Yemen has long been an important port at the crossroads of some of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The Gulf of Aden, off Yemen’s coast, sees huge tonnage in merchant shipping: Three million barrels of oil pass through these waters every day. To the north is the Suez Canal and refineries at the Saudi port of Yanbu; to the south are the Indian Ocean and shipping lanes to energy-hungry Asian markets.
Yes, Saudi Arabia will get its puppet installed in Yemen to safeguard its interests. The US would find a place to have its hand on the button to deny sea route to Chinese trade
Yemen also overlooks a maritime “choke-point,” a narrow passage like the Strait of Hormuz at the tip of the Persian Gulf. At its narrowest, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is just 12 miles wide, with Yemen on one side and Djibouti on the other. Little wonder Djibouti has become an important outpost for the US and French military.
One can find the root-cause of Yemen-Hijaz discord in history. Moreover, the Saudi regime also wants to continue its hold over the rich oil resources of Yemen as Houthis are in no mood to allow the Saudi Arabian hold on their resources.
Yemen is home to warriors and rebels. It is also the land of tribal disputes, discord and conflicts since long due to its strategic location, which makes Yemen the most important place in the heart of the Arab peninsula.
Abraha, the man who led a military expedition against the Quraish of Mecca in year 570 AD was actually from Yemen. Since Abraha’s army was travelling on elephants, the incident is referred as the ‘Year of the Elephant’. The incident has been referred in the holy Quran in the Surat al-Fil which states that Abraha perished in his bid to conquer Mecca.
Though the Saudi regime is claiming to lead a “Sunni alliance” of ten nations against “Shi’a Houthis”, the matter of fact is that neither Saudi rulers are Sunnis nor the Houthi rebels are Shi’a. While the Arabian regime follows the Salafite sect, the Houthis follow the teachings of Imam Shafai. So Houthis are more close to their Sunni brethren.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Ziyad founded the Ziyadi dynasty in Tihama around 818 AD. The first Zaidi Imam, Yahya ibn al-Husayn, arrived to Yemen in 893 AD. He was the founder of the Zaidi imamate in 897. He was a religious cleric and judge who was invited to come from Medina to arbitrate tribal disputes.
Moreover, if the Saudi Arabia-led coalition wants to reinstate a legitimate president in Yemen, they would have to eat their words as Hadi is not an elected leader. Rather, he is a Saudi puppet.
Hadi was vice president under President Ali Abdullah Saleh, when Houthi’s rebellion strengthened in 2011. When the popular movement grew stronger, Saleh fled to Saudi Arabia and his deputy, Hadi, was given charge. Hadi served as acting president while Ali Abdullah Saleh was undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia following an attack on the presidential palace during the 2011 Yemeni uprising.
Then, on November23, Hadi became acting president again, after Saleh moved into a non-active role pending the presidential election “in return for immunity from prosecution”. Hadi was “expected to form a national unity government and also call for presidential elections within 90 days” while Saleh continued to serve as president in name only.
However, Hadi’s promise to hold elections in 90 days never materialised, the way General Zia-ul-Haq never held polls despite his promise to hold election in 90 days after the coup in 1977.
So, if we were going into a war just to reinstate an illegitimate ruler in Yemen, what are we going to get? Yes, Saudi Arabia will get its puppet installed in Yemen to safeguard its interests. The US would find a place to have its hand on the button to deny sea route to Chinese trade. But what we will get is a million dollar question only known to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or Army Chief General Raheel Sharif.
