Daily Times

It seems like the hawks will have to wait for now. Those who were impatiently awaiting Pakistan’s entry into the Yemen fiasco were dealt a blow last Friday when the joint session of parliament concluded with the passage of a resolution effectively denying Saudi Arabia’s request of bombs, barrels and barracks from Pakistan. Under the current consensus, Pakistani troops will steer clear of the mess the Saudis have made in Yemen and only pitch in to save the territorial integrity of the Kingdom — as is allowed through international law — in the event it stands compromised.
Interestingly, the resolution was passed on the 42nd anniversary of the 1973 Constitution, the day that is remembered as the one when the Constitution was first promulgated by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The document was a landmark achievement, especially when seen in the context of Pakistan’s tumultuous struggles in coming up with a legal framework to run the country’s affairs. And just as the Constitution was a saving grace back then, the resolution is something to cherish right now. Numerous legal interjections in the uncouth hands of the ill willed have chipped away at the core of the Constitution but, despite the addition of many questionable bells and whistles, the document remains a sacrosanct cornerstone of the feeble democratic setup in Pakistan. Much in the same way, parliament’s track record makes for some very ugly reading but through all the stutters and stumbles, the institution has kept moving forward.
With this background, when all sanity had seemingly evaporated from the corridors of power, this unusual demonstration of rationality is definitely a remarkable milestone. For a country that has been accused of siding with all sides in critical battles, this rare glimpse of unprecedented clarity of vision has surprised quite a few. In fact, it feels as if the passage of the resolution is living up to the original spirit of the 1973 Constitution in an instance of cosmic re-balancing.
However, if you are expecting this saga to end anytime soon, do not hold your breath. The same resolution that shies away from active involvement in the Yemen conflict also has provisions to ensure a Pakistani presence in the holy land in the event that the sanctity of the Saudi border is breached. And, in times of planned wins and even more planned losses, it will only take a minor intrusion on some remote section of the Saudi-Yemen border to force Pakistan’s hand. In that case, we will have no moral high ground to retreat back to. And an overview of the battle in Yemen makes it abundantly clear that the Houthis are gaining crucial ground, so keep your eyes peeled for a border skirmish and that too soon.
Furthermore, we must remember that just because this particular series of events has produced a shy response from Pakistan does not mean that we can build reliable models of state behaviour around it. Behind this ambiguity stands a decade of inner turmoil at the hands of terrorism and militancy. Peshawar is still fresh in the collective memory and with the army engaged in a full-blown counter-insurgency operation already under way, it should not have taken a lot of brainpower to decide the obvious.
Secondly, the overtures made towards the idea of the ummah in the resolution have not been completely lost on observers. But confused and naïve though we may be about the militant threat within, years of suffering have at least made this much clear: more and more Pakistanis are looking down upon internecine conflict in the wake of personal losses, if not on the basis of principled stances. It is with this in mind that we are politely staying away from Yemen for now but the response would have been much different if the identities of the protagonists were altered. After all, who is to say that we would have been able to prevaricate this much if the Saudis had decided to get up in arms against some ‘infidel’ power? Remember the jihad in Afghanistan?
Still, standing up for the right thing is no walk in the park and pretty soon we will realise this when the Arab alliance starts to push harder on other fronts. Already a United Arab Emirates (UAE) minister has been spewing vitriol through his Twitter account and soon more will join in the chorus. Do not forget that we have been feasting on Saudi bailouts for a long time now and if the oil or the money from the new Saudi king starts to dry up, there will be serious repercussions to withstand. Additionally, hordes of skilled and unskilled Pakistani labour reside in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, which are the source of billions of dollars for the Pakistani economy in the form of remittances. Restrictions on entry, limited avenues of employment and, in extreme cases, deportations can be used as tools to force a reversal of Pakistan’s stance on Yemen.
In many ways, making a choice is relatively easy; it is living with that choice that takes work and commitment. Whether we have made the right choice in these difficult circumstances is a question that only history will answer but in the coming days, our newfound resolve is about to be put to the test. Let us hope that we have the wherewithal to stand with our decision and create an enviable precedent for the future in the process.

The author is a freelance columnist with degrees in political science and international relations