Sticky situation

This refers to the news report, ‘Nawaz meets King Salman, assures full support’ (April 24). It seems Saudi Arabia still desires our open commitment in the ongoing war in Yemen despite the joint parliamentary resolution. But can the Nawaz government make such an outright commitment after this resolution? Are the Saudis convinced by the clarifications given by Nawaz Sharif vis-à-vis our stand on the issue and Saudi Arabia’s call for outright military support?
The answer is a big no when seen against the backdrop of remarks of the Saudi minister for religious affairs who recently visited the country and also from the loud and clear signals emanating from quarters that matter in the kingdom. What should Pakistan do to get out of this quagmire? The options are not too many. Pakistan should make a last-ditch effort to convince those at the helm in the Saudi government that if diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue fail and the sovereignty and sanctity of the Holy Land stand threatened it would extend complete military support to Saudi Arabia.
M Fazal Elahi
Islamabad
*****
This refers to the news report, ‘Nawaz meets King Salman’ (April 24). It should be kept in mind that Saudi Arabia has always been there to help us. Starting from our nuclear programme, the Saudis have been helping us by offering us concessionary oil deals, zakat fund and more.
The act of offering support to the Saudis will help us improve our economic stability in the long run.
Syed Hamza Ibrahim Shah
Petaro