Yemen talks

Yemen is one of the poorest Muslim countries. It's unfortunate people are starved of even the basic necessities of life. Economic development has not yet hit Yemen in any meaningful way. On top of it all, it has been for many years in the throes of a bitter civil war between Houthis, a Shia militia allegedly supported by Iran, and the government of Yemen, supported by Saudi Arabia.

This fruitless war has wreaked havoc on innocent people. In this utterly brutal scenario, a ray of hope seems to have emerged. Mr Ahmadinejad, former president of Iran, is said to have written letters to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Houthi chief Abdul Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi and copied to the UN secretary-general. He has invited Prince Salman for talks to end the devastating civil war. Ahmedinejad may well be advised to take the government of Iran, particularly the supreme leader, on board to give his move a chance of success. On our part, our amiable Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi may also please take the appropriate steps to promote the talks proposed by Ahmedinejad to push this noble cause.

Hameed Akhtar Niazi

Islamabad