Pakistan to stay neutral in Arab-Qatar rift: Sartaj

• Adviser says Islamabad to refrain from interfering in affairs of other countries

Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday informed Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that Pakistan would maintain neutrality in the on-going Middle Eastern rift and would refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

He was briefing the lawmakers on the on-going diplomatic rift in the Middle East that began after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives severed their ties with Qatar, a tiny kingdom.

Sartaj said that the resolution adopted by Pakistan on the Yemen conflict would serve as the foundation for the role Pakistan would adopt in the current Gulf crisis. He was referring to the resolution adopted unanimously by the parliament in 2015 when Saudi Arabia launched a military operation against Yemen.

The resolution proposed that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis. At the time, the government had decided to continue with its pursuit of a diplomatic solution to the war in Yemen.

On Wednesday, Adviser Sartaj told the committee that former Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had taken command of the 41-nation Saudi-led military coalition in his personal capacity. He said that he [General Sharif] was not sent by the government to lead the alliance and therefore, cannot be asked to return.

“The government issued NoC to General Raheel Sharif in accordance with the rules. However, the policy regarding Pakistan’s participation in different activities of the alliance will be decided by the government after the TORs have been finalised and in consultation with the parliament,” according to a Foreign Office statement.

A member of the committee, who spoke to Pakistan Today requesting not being identified, said that during the meeting, Sartaj was confronted by several members as to why the government was not asking Gen Raheel to resign from his post as this could drag the country into some diplomatic swamp.

The source said that Senator Shibli Fraz and Senator Karim Khwaja argued why Gen Sharif was not being asked to return as the military alliance might be dragged into the conflict between Muslim states. However, the adviser said that the federal government only issued a no objection certificate (NoC) to the former military chief.

Sartaj also referred to the efforts by Pakistan to normalise tensions between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, stating that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had visited Saudi Arabia. Asked if Pakistan was playing role of a mediator between the two states, he said that Pakistan would support normalisation but mediation was being peddled by Kuwait for the time being.

In its response to the Middle Eastern crisis, Pakistan had stressed the need for unity in the Muslim world and urged the countries involved to engage in dialogue. Prime Minister Nawaz had not only met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz as part of his mediation efforts but also spoke with Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on the phone regarding a resolution to the rift.

Earlier this month, the National Assembly members expressed deep concern over the diplomatic rift and passed a resolution urging all countries to show restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue. They also called upon the government to take concrete steps towards forging unity amongst the Muslims in the region.