ISLAMABAD: Faced with the difficult choice of whether or not to join the Saudi-led military coalition against Yemeni Houthis, the government said on Thursday it was convening a joint session of parliament on Monday to discuss the crisis and enunciate guiding principles for a decision.

“All decisions in the matter will be taken in accordance with the wishes of the people of Pakistan. To this end, the prime minister is advising the president to convene a joint session of parliament on Monday, April 6, to discuss this matter of national importance,” the Prime Minister Office said.

The decision was taken at meeting presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The meeting had been called to discuss the report of the assessment mission led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that visited Riyadh to ascertain Saudi Arabia’s military requirements in Operation Al-Hazm Storm.

After returning from Riyadh on Wednesday, the defence minister said the trip had helped “better understand the requirements of Saudi brethren”.

Political parties had been asking the government to convene a joint session of the parliament on the situation in Yemen and Pakistan’s role in the conflict.

The principles set at the Thursday meeting said the policy on the Yemen crisis would be dictated by “national interest”.

But, an odd insertion in the PMO statement that “isolation of Saudi territorial integrity” would prompt “a strong response from Pakistan” raised eyebrows.

This apparent change in policy, which was earlier about responding to “threat to territorial integrity”, seemed to be lowering the threshold for Pakistan’s involvement in the military offensive against the Houthis.

“Given the close historical, cultural and religious affinities between the peoples of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, it was reaffirmed that any isolation of Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity will evoke a strong response from Pakistan. Our concerned authorities will stay engaged with their Saudi counterparts in this regard,” it said.

The FO through a corrigendum included in the transcript of the weekly media briefing clarified that the word “isolation” was a typo and it should be read as “violation”. But, the PMO that originally issued the statement did not amend it.

The meeting also condemned actions by Houthis, who were described as non-state actors in Yemen to overthrow the “legitimate government” of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Sharif emphasised the need for a peaceful resolution of the crisis and promoting the unity of Muslim Ummah.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif; Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, acting Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Khan Hasham bin Saddique and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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