Pakistan’s military has had a busy start to the year. Indeed, its expertise appears to be in demand. And while this is a matter of pride for the country — the possible endgame remains a matter of concern. There have been admissions of prolonged troop deployment in Saudi Arabia. And while dismissed as part of ongoing bilateral security cooperation, the issue only came before Parliament retrospectively. And even then, no details were forthcoming apart from how Pakistani soldiers would not venture beyond the Kingdom’s borders. This month alone has seen the country participate in the 24-nation Joint Gulf Shield 1 drills; again, in Saudi Arabia. As well as a trip by the COAS and the Prime Minister to the Kingdom to inspect military exercises conducted by the 34-member Islamic Military Alliance (IMA). All of which is troublesome given ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Pakistan turned down the Saudi request to send troops to Yemen. This was the right thing to do. For the last thing this country needs is being dragged into the Riyadh-Tehran proxy war. But now there appears to be a revival of American efforts to see US troops withdraw from Syria to be replaced by an Arab coalition force. And while it remains unclear as to what extent Saudi Arabia would support its own deployment to a territory where Iran is deeply entrenched when it is already battling the Houthi rebels in Yemen — it has not dismissed the idea out of hand. Indeed, it is in direct talks with Washington towards this end. And this is where Pakistan must tread softly. For refraining from active combat is not the same thing as not being militarily engaged. This is a point that needs to be underscored in light of recent reports that this county is ready to train to the IMA on counter-terrorism. Unless, that is, Islamabad wants to stand accused of supporting warmongering in part of the Muslim world. Much in the same way that Britain and the US find themselves legitimately charged with fuelling Middle Eastern unrest by way of global arm sales. And what is particularly worrisome in this instance is that neither Iran nor Syria are members of the so-called Muslim NATO; thereby prompting fresh concerns regarding the Alliance’s immediate targets. Needless to say, Pakistan has bigger battles to fight closer to home. These include a home-grown insurgency; Afghan-based militants launching cross-border attacks over here; not to mention trying to pull India back from the brink in Kashmir. Moreover, it is in everyone’s interest that it prioritises these areas of concern. Thus it is all the more urgent that Prime Minister Abbasi give Parliament a thorough debriefing on all this. While he still has time. * Published in Daily Times, April 22nd 2018.