Durrani assails Nawaz’s call for UN role in Yemen

ISLAMABAD: Former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of playing in the hands of the Western states by floating a proposal to give a role to the United Nations in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, says a press release.
“The government has also betrayed Saudi Arabian government by retracting its promises earlier made with its leadership. This very act of the federal government can damage Pakistan’s strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia,” claimed former Senator Durrani during an informal chat with a group of journalists here at his residence.
The former minister said the proposal floated by the government to give a role to the United Nations in the Yemen conflict appeared to be a part of an international conspiracy being hatched by the western countries to capture the rich oil resources of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
He said instead of playing in the hands of the West, Pakistan and Iran should use their respective terms with Saudi Arabia and Yemen to help resolve the problem. He also lashed out at those analysts who were labeling Yemen conflict as a sectarian problem or a covert war between Saudi Arabia and Iran saying that this dispute had nothing to do with sectarianism but it was actually a secret design by US and its western allies to capture oil resources of both the oil-rich states.
Mr Durrani called upon the leaders of the Muslim countries to rise above petty differences and take stock of the situation and thwart any design against the rich oil resources of the Muslim states.
“The US has already captured the oil wells in Iraq, Syria and Libya. Now the conspirators have ignited a war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen just to grab the oil resources of both these countries. This is a ripe time that the leadership of the Muslim countries may intervene,” said Senator Durrani.
He came down hard on the federal government for not supporting the Saudi Arabian government in this difficult time saying that this act was a breach of trust with a strategic ally and the fast-changing position by the foreign office over the Yemen crisis reflected that the foreign policy was being swiftly changed under some foreign pressure.
Muhammad Ali Durrani said that Saudi Arabia had always stood with Pakistan in hard times. “Whether it was floods, earthquake or international sanctions after nuclear tests, Saudi Arabia stood with Pakistan always. The people of Pakistan can never forget the generous support from the Saudi government. Moreover, we are getting billions of dollars every year as foreign exchange – thanks to millions of Pakistanis who have been employed in Saudi Arabia,” observed Senator Durrani.
Calling upon the prime minister to retract his statement regarding UN’s role in Yemen, former Senator Durrani said that UN had failed in resolving conflicts in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Libya, Chechnya and Palestine.
“Does the prime minister want another Palestine-like situation in Yemen? Does he want western forces may takeover Yemen in the garb of the peacekeepers?” he argued. He said that the government of Pakistan should stand behind the Saudi Arabian people and their government to foil any conspiracy being hatched by the enemy to divide the Muslim Ummah.