Govt asked to stand by Riyadh

PESHAWAR: The Shura Ulema Ahle Hadith on Saturday asked the government to extend support to Saudi Arabia in its fight against the Houthi rebels fighting against the government forces in Yemen.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, chief of the Shura Sheikh Abdul Aziz said that Saudi Arabia was a brotherly country and supported Pakistan through hard times.
He said the fight in Yemen was not sectarian but a conspiracy against Saudi Arabia.
“Pakistan should not abandon a trusted ally and true friend in time of need,” he added.
He said defence of sacred places of Islam is responsibility of every Muslim. Rebuffing the joint resolution of the parliament on the Yemen crisis, he said the resolution didn’t reflect the sentiments of Pakistani nation. He said Pakistan should not remain silent and should openly support Saudi Arabia against the rebels.
Our correspondent in Bannu adds: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leaders Saturday said that imperialist powers were out to create divisions among the Muslims under a conspiracy.
Speaking at the Ittehad-e-Ummat Conference here, Deputy Chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Akram Durrani, Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman and others said such forces were behind the crisis in Yemen.
They said that the people in Yemen were being pitted against each others and a civil war has been started there. They said that the rebels were threatening to attack the sacred places of Islam. They said that in such a situation it was the duty of every Muslims to defend the Haramain Sharifain.
They said that JUI-F always talked of unity among the Muslims as it was the only way to defeat the anti-Muslim forces.