ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has termed the remarks of a UAE cabinet minister over Pakistan’s stance in the Yemen crisis as “threatening, unacceptable and an insult to the Pakistani nation”.

“The Pakistani nation is an honourable nation. It has brotherly relations with the people of Saudi Arabia as well as the UAE. However, the statement of the UAE minister is an insult to the self-respect of Pakistan and its nation and is unacceptable,” he said in a brief statement here on Sunday.

“It is tragic and a matter of concern (for us) that a UAE minister is threatening Pakistan,” Mr Khan observed. He also termed the UAE minister’s remarks “against all the diplomatic norms and principles of international relations”.

The interior minister’s statement came a day after the Pakistan’s Foreign Office avoided reacting to the remarks by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, who was unhappy over Islamabad’s decision to stay out of the Yemen conflict.

The resolution adopted by the joint sitting of the Parliament, which expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia but insisted on remaining neutral in the dispute, has apparently riled the UAE government, which is already said to be displeased with Pakistan over bilateral issues.

Dr Gargash, in a series of messages (in Arabic) sent from his verified account on the social networking site, Twitter, and in an interview with the Khaleej Times, had reportedly stated that the Pakistani parliament’s decision to opt for neutrality in the Yemen conflict would “cost the country heavily”.

Saudi minister dashes to Islamabad at the head of a five-member delegation

In his tweets, Mr Gargash had singled out Pakistan and Turkey, saying that it seemed that Iran seemed more important to them, even though they relied on investment from the Arab states. He had also termed the Pakistan’s stance over the Yemen crisis “vague and contradictory”.

“No comments,” was the response of Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam when asked to comment on the statement by Dr Gargash during a press briefing here on Saturday.

The interior minister’s statement also coincided with the sudden arrival of Saudi Minister for Religious Affairs Saleh Al Sheikh Bin Abdul Aziz in Islamabad.

The Saudi minister arrived with a five-member delegation on an emergency visit to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the issue of Yemen. He is scheduled to meet the country’s top leadership on Monday.

According to a private TV channel, the Saudi minister said on arrival that the resolution passed by the parliament on the Yemen issue was Pakistan’s internal matter.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always had cordial ties,” Mr Aziz reportedly stated.

Meanwhile, the UAE minister’s remarks, which were immediately picked up by the local media, drew a strong reaction from Pakistani politicians.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman went as far as to accuse the UAE of fomenting unrest in Balochistan and Karachi.

PTI spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari, in her party’s response to the development, said that it was a parliamentary decision reflecting the consensus of the elected representatives of Pakistan and “our friends and allies must respect the parliamentary consensus”.

She said the resolution expressed clear support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for cooperation with the Gulf countries.

BANGLADESH SITUATION: Meanwhile, in a separate statement Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan expressed his concern over the hanging of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leaders in Bangladesh and asked the international democracy and human rights watchdogs to raise their voice over the situation in Bangladesh.

“Whatever is the viewpoint of the (Pakistan) government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but as a Pakistani, my heart is bleeding over the situation in Bangladesh,” the minister said, clearly showing that he was unhappy over the policy of the government of his own party over the Bangladesh issue. 

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2015

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