Saudi request for help in Yemen puts Pakistan PM Sharif in a bind

April 06, 2015 08:58

Pakistan's parliament begins debating a Saudi plea for military help in Yemen on Monday, a request that pits Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's staunch Saudi allies against a war-weary Pakistani public.

Since Saudi Arabia, the Gulf's main Sunni Muslim power, asked Sunni-majority Pakistan to join a Saudi-led military coalition that began conducting air strikes last month against largely Shi'ite Houthi forces in Yemen, Sharif has hedged his bets.

He has said repeatedly he will defend any threat to Saudi Arabia's 'territorial integrity' without defining what action such a threat might provoke.

"They're looking to satisfy Saudi expectations at a minimal level," said Arif Rafiq, a Washington-based adjunct scholar with the Middle East Institute. "They're unlikely to be part of any meaningful action inside Yemen. Maybe they will reinforce the (Saudi) border."

Sharif owes the Saudis. Endemic tax dodging means Pakistan needs regular injections of foreign cash to avoid economic meltdown. Last year, the Saudis gave Pakistan $1.5 billion. Saudi Arabia also sheltered Sharif after he was overthrown in a 1999 military coup.

But joining the Saudi-led coalition could inflame a sectarian conflict at home where around a fifth of the population is Shi'ite and attacks on Shi'ites are increasing, further destabilising the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million people.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

'We Had A Tom And Jerry Relationship'

'I believed that no matter what happened, I would be there to take care of him.' 'He believed it too and even when he fell ill, he had total faith in me, ki main sab theek kar doongi.' 'I tried, I really tried, but I fell short and he...

Has BJP Fallen In Congress Trap?

On balance, RG contesting from Raebareli instead of Amethi isn't the masterstroke the party's adherents are touting it to be, but neither is it the blunder the BJP and its tame media is framing it as, points out Prem Panicker.

Will Nifty-IT Outperform Post Elections?

The Nifty IT index, data shows, has outperformed the markets in each of the last four election years post the result. announcement.

Home Loans: To Top Up Or Not To Top Up?

The home loan top-up, a kind of secured multipurpose personal loan, is on the regulator's radar, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

Jadeja Or Gaikwad? Who Gets Your Vote?

From CSK: Jadeja, Gaikwad, Mitchell shone. From PBKS: Prabhsimran and Shashank.