ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday refuted reports that it planned to send any troops to Qatar in the wake of the tensions brewing among Gulf states.

The report, which was carried by TRT Urdu — part of Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation — said that a bill seeking the deployment of 20,000 troops to Qatar had been placed before the National Assembly and was approved by the house.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the Foreign Office termed the reports “completely fabricated and baseless”, adding that “these false reports appear to be part of a malicious campaign aimed at creating misunderstanding between Pakistan and brotherly Muslim countries in the Gulf”.

TRT Urdu had reported that after adopting the bill, lawmakers urged Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resolve their differences through dialogue.

However, no such bill was passed by the lower house. Rather, a resolution was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on Thursday, which called on all conflicting states to shun their differences.

Pakistan has called for resolution of the Middle East crisis through talks

The resolution said: “The National Assembly of Pakistan expresses its deep concern over recent developments involving brotherly Muslim states in the Gulf region, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This house calls upon all countries to show restraint and resolve all differences through dialogue. This house also calls upon the government to take concrete steps towards forging unity amongst the Muslim Ummah in the region, in accordance with parliament’s unanimous resolution dated 10-04-2015.”

The resolution was prepared by the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and was passed unanimously. On the same day, a separate resolution condemning recent terrorist attacks in Tehran was also passed.

On that day, Awami Muslim League president Sheikh Rashid Ahmed claimed on the floor of the house that former chief of the army staff retired Gen Raheel Sharif, who had been made head of a Saudi-led military alliance of 29 Muslim states, wanted to take 5,000 Pakistani troops with him.

Last week, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism in an unprecedented rift between the most powerful members of the GCC. Qatar has denied these allegations, terming them ‘false and baseless’.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved legislation for increased military cooperation with Qatar, including a deal for the deployment of Turkish troops there.

The legislation, which also foresees cooperation in military training, was passed in parliament on Wednesday, a day after Mr Erdogan openly sided with Qatar and criticised other Gulf countries’ moves to isolate it.

A six-member Qatari delegation, headed by businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri, reportedly visited Islamabad last week. Media reports said the delegation relayed a message from the Qatari emir, asking Pakistan to play a positive role in resolving the diplomatic crisis engulfing the Middle East.

The Foreign Office, however, officially denied any knowledge of the visit and stressed the need for unity among Muslim countries. The spokesman said Pakistan wished to see the crisis resolved in the best possible manner.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2017