THE recent escalation in tensions between the Saudi government and the Yemeni Houthi forces may spiral further out of control. The situation was exacerbated by the recent bombing of the Yemeni airport at Sana’a, effectively bringing the four-year informal truce and period of de-escalation to an end. As was to be expected, the Houthi forces that now control the major part of Yemen retaliated with a series of drone and missile attacks on Saudi installations. These targeted attacks that are still continuing unabated have gone as far north as even up to the Saudi port and industrial city of Yanbu.

Taking advantage of this escalation, certain regional players who have vested interests in ensuring that this situation escalates further purposely added fuel to the fire by clandestinely making some ‘arrangements’ to depict as if the Houthi forces had even tried to hit the holy city of Makkah.

More recently, a power installation on the outskirts of the other holy city of Madina was also hit. Houthis have been promptly blamed for both these attacks even though they have vehemently denied having done so. One may expect more of such false-flag operations in the near future. Unfortunately, instead of seeing through the real ‘culprits’ and their ulterior motive behind such escalation, we seem to be getting drawn headlong into this fray.

Before it gets too late, Pakistan needs to seriously consider the viable option of initiating a process of mediation between the two neighbours whose common values, culture and traditions are historically interlinked for millennia. We can do this only as long as we refrain from being perceived as ‘taking sides’. I know from personal interactions that considerable goodwill and respect do exist among the common Yemenis for their Pakistani brethren. They have suffered enormously over the last several years, and this internal strife, fuelled by interventions by regional powers, has cost almost a million innocent lives in Yemen.

We, therefore, need to quickly reach out to them and forge a lasting peace between the warring sides, both internally as well as with the external neighbours and vested interests. The Yemenis, at least at this stage of the conflict, would welcome such a move by us. Owing to our well-known connections with the relevant powers, we should be ideally placed to play the mediator and bring about a lasting peace in this strategic but vulnerable region. We can do this because we are definitely good at it.

Capt M. Jamil Akhtar Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026