Daily Times

Sir: The Saudi intervention in Yemen is of great concern for all human beings in general and Muslims in particular. Irrespective of its nature, based either on a power struggle between the warlords or religious perception, the sectarian conflict that prevails in the region (Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and the Levant area) has inflated to a point of explosion and turned into religious conflicts between Shias and Sunnis for dominance.

Though the Saudi alliance includes neighbouring countries and Pakistan has been asked to join the war by providing military support to Saudi Arabia, it was appropriate for Pakistan to decide the issue collectively in the joint session of parliament rather than making a unilateral approach in supporting Saudi Arabia in this war in the name of providing security. The polarised views of lawmakers are confusing. They opine that Pakistan should refrain from joining the Saudi alliance against Yemen but in case of attack on sacred places in Saudi Arabia, it is incumbent upon Islamabad to join the Yemen war. This two-pronged commitment to the Saudi government is quite misleading to conclude if Pakistan will honour the Saudi request or act as a neutral country in this regional conflict. In either case it is a difficult task for Pakistan to decide. Probably, it seems appropriate for Pakistan to remain neutral in this war; otherwise, it may inflate and spread the historical Shia/Sunni conflict in Pakistan and initiate a self-destruction process.
MOHAMMAD ASHRAF
Winnipeg
Canada