Pakistan votes to stay out of Yemen conflict as aid arrives

Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, perform a traditional dance Friday during a protest against Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen.
Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, perform a traditional dance Friday during a protest against Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Pakistani lawmakers on Friday unanimously voted to stay out of the Saudi-led air coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen in a blow to the alliance, while planes loaded with badly needed medical aid landed in Yemen's embattled capital, Sanaa, in the first such deliveries since the airstrikes started more than two weeks ago.

Pakistan's decision to stay out of the fight likely doesn't greatly affect the Saudi-led coalition's military capabilities. But it was an embarrassment to Saudi Arabia and a crack in the solidarity of a block of Sunni-led nations that the kingdom was trying to garner against the rebels, who are supported by Shiite powerhouse Iran.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid said government will fully comply with the parliament resolution. But Saudi-led coalition spokesman Ahmed Asiri, speaking in Riyadh, said Pakistan's official government position has not yet been announced and that there are consultations between Riyadh and Islamabad on the political level.

Still, he said that while Pakistan's participation is "in the interest of Yemen" and would be an addition to the coalition, its final decision "will not affect the operations in one way or the other."

He said other coalition forces are as well trained as the Pakistani forces, which are known for their operation in similar terrain as Yemen's.

According to Pakistani officials, Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to send troops to take part in the campaign against the rebels, known as Houthis, who have seized control of Sanaa and much of the country and forced Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee the country.

But Pakistan appeared wary of getting involved in an increasingly sectarian conflict that has become a new proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran - and could enflame its own sectarian divisions at home. Pakistan is predominantly Sunni but has a Shiite minority that is frequently targeted by Sunni extremists. Pakistan also shares a long border with Iran.

The United States, Saudi Arabia and Hadi accuse Iran of arming the Houthis. Iran denies sending the rebels weapons but says it supports their cause and sends them humanitarian help. Iran has been trying to garner international support to stop the bombing and has stepped up its condemnation of the air campaign. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday called it "genocide."

The debate put Pakistan in an awkward position. It has long had military ties to Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Nawaz Sherif was sheltered by Saudi Arabia after the coup that overthrew him in 1999. For weeks, Sunni hardliners, including a group linked to militants, have organized rallies around Pakistan denouncing the Yemeni rebels and urging Islamabad to join the coalition.

From the other side, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spent two days in Islamabad this week, discussing Yemen with Sharif and other officials.

On Friday, after days of debate, Pakistan's legislature declared the country "should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict" so it can help a diplomatic solution. Sirajul Haq, the head of Pakistan's powerful Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan party, said Islamabad could "play the role of a mediator." Sherif was present, suggesting his support for the result.

It called for Yemen's warring parties to resolve the conflict by dialogue and said Pakistan's diplomats should "initiate steps" before the U.N. Security Council "to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Yemen" and warned of regional implications if the conflict becomes an all-out sectarian war.

As a nod to Saudi Arabia, they expressed "unequivocal support" for the kingdom and vowed to "stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with it if its territory or people came under threat.

Zarif has said Iran is also ready to facilitate peace talks that would lead to a broad-based government in Yemen. He also called for a cease-fire to allow for humanitarian assistance. "We need to work together in order to put an end to the crisis in Yemen," Zarif said.

The United Nations and Iran have called for a return to negotiations, and Saudi Arabia had offered to host the talks. But with military operations intensifying, it was not clear who can bring the parties to the table. The rebels insist Hadi has lost his legitimacy while Saudi Arabia and allies say they are working to restore his rule.

Egyptian Defense Minister Sedky Sobhi, whose country is a major partner in the coalition, met Friday with Saudi King Salman to discuss the Egypt's participation in the military campaign in Yemen and ways to "consolidate joint action to achieve the operation's goals." Egypt's jets and warships are taking part in the operation. Egyptian military officals have spoken previously of the possibility of a ground incursion.

Experts had said any potential ground operation in Yemen to secure territory for Hadi would involve Saudi, Pakistani and Egyptian troops. The Saudis had held joint war games in southwest Saudi Arabia with several hundred Pakistani troops, veterans of guerrilla warfare against militant Islamic groups in their country's tribal regions along the Afghan border.

Egyptian advisers have also been stationed near the Saudi border with Yemen.