Pakistan has formally joined the Yemeni war on the side of Saudi Arabia. In a top-level meeting in Islamabad chaired by Nawaz Sharif (the Prime Minister of Pakistan), it was affirmed that Pakistan will support Saudi Arabia in its current conflict in Yemen as part of Pakistan’s commitment to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among the attendants were General Raheel Sharif, the highest ranking military officer in Pakistan; Sartaj Aziz, National security advisor; and Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defence Minister. Presently, Asif is leading a delegation of senior Pakistani military officers in an official visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The entry of a non-Arab power into the Yemeni fray showcases Saudi commitment to protect its southern flank from Shiite subversion. Intelligence reports sourced by SIS indicate that Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistan to airlift an entire division to Saudi soil from where the troops will be integrated with other troops from the Sunni coalition countries.
Pakistan decision to support the Sunni coalition risks upsetting its relationship with Iran besides angering its minority Shiite population which considers the Pakistani government as a sectarian entity poised to damage Sunni-Shiite relationship in the region. Pakistani’s Shiite minority has suffered a series of terror attacks perpetrated by Al Qaeda and other Salafists terrorist groups.
