Nip it in the bud!
Despite the clarity in the joint session, it seems the national (and beyond) argument about Yemen is far from over. That friends in the Gulf are ‘disappointed’ is understandable, and was expected. Yet the manner of their outrage left a little to be desired. In fact, as Ch Nisar pointed out, it may have crossed the diplomatic no-go line. But there are matters of graver concern far closer to home. Again, parliament did a fine job of separating fact from fiction; which, in this case meant differentiating between a Saudi war for regional influence and a possible threat to its sovereignty, or even the holy places.
ASWJ and Jamatud Dawa took to the streets, calling the parliamentary resolution a conspiracy against the people and Saudi friends, and threatened more such marches, even going to the holy land to defend it themselves if the government did not listen. Disturbingly, there were also clear efforts to link the Yemeni conflict with an alleged threat to Makkah and Madina. The ASWJ chief’s statement that “We have to give unconditional support to Saudi Arabia to save the honour of Ummul Momineen Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa. We will not allow anyone to disrespect the Haramain Sharifain” should cause serious concern in Islamabad. True, pro-government sections tried to put a similar spin initially, but such efforts were supposedly taken care of during the joint session.
And not very surprisingly, he also said, “Those who want ceasefire in Yemen favour operations against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan”, which, once again, puts their true intentions in perspective. The government needs to be very clear in its response. It has already been too soft on such elements, even when a tough clampdown was expected after the Peshawar school tragedy. Those in charge must note that such groups have a committed following precisely because they misuse religion to brainwash common folk. And their numbers have grown because the government was always to limp to take the bull by the horns. But unless it nips this phenomenon in the bud right now, it will compromise its own fight against militancy.
