Zardari endorses Nawaz policy on Yemen as Imran opposes it

ISLAMABAD: The PML(N) government as well as the leading opposition PPP have adopted the same policy of fully endorsing Saudi Arabia’s policy on Yemen while the PTI suggests the government should stay away from “other’s’” war.
It is interesting to note that the PPP’s policy statement is perhaps far stronger than even the government’s policy as Asif Ali Zardari says: “It becomes collective responsibility of the international community to join hands against the (Houthis) militia to protect Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”
Issued by the party’s co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari through former interior minister Abdur Rehman Malik, the PPP policy statement would help negate those who are trying to give sectarian colour to the Yemen issue.
International wire agencies report that the Yemeni rebels had even positioned long-range Scud missiles close to the Saudi border but still the PTI chairman Imran Khan term it “other’s” war and equates it with the US’s so-called war on terror. Malik when contacted on Monday told The News that the former President has added a new paragraph to the policy statement issued yesterday, which also reflects on the missile systems of Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia.
According to Malik, the added paragraph says: “He (Zardari) said PPP cannot support militias as it is without any legitimacy in Yemen and it has established missile systems to target the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In case militia succeeds to take over the assets and important installations of Saudi Arabia they would wreak havoc all over the world by using those resources. Therefore, it becomes collective responsibility of international community to join hands against the militia to protect Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”
Malik said that though some media persons are trying to question the policy statement of the PPP, he clarified that he was asked by the co-chairperson to issue the statement on Asif Ali Zardari’s behalf.
The written policy statement of the co-chairperson PPP as shared by Malik with this correspondent fully endorses Saudi Arabia’s policy on Yemen and its military action against the Yemeni rebels besides asking the world community to support Jeddah’s action.
Zardari added, “We stand with our brothers from GCC and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and endorse their action in Yemen to restore democracy as it coincides with our national policy and our historical responsibilities and commitments toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’.”
Earlier Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his full support for Saudi Arabia in the ‘Determination Storm’ operation, asserting: “all potentials of the Pakistani Army are offered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asserted that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity would evoke a strong response from Pakistan.
The prime minister issued this statement following a high-level meeting of civil-military leadership held at the PM House last week. Initially, there were some voices within the PPP critical of the government’s policy but now Zardari’s statement has give full endorsement to what the government had decided.
On the other side, Imran Khan has opposed the government’s policy and asked: “Has Pakistan not suffered enough by participating in others’ wars?” He insisted that Pakistan should be playing a lead role in negotiating/helping in peace talks rather than becoming a participant in the war. He added that we already have a huge sectarian issue in Pakistan and our country has suffered enough in the last 10 years.