Saturday, March 28, 2015

Saudi Arabia and Yemen crisis: Pakistan decides not to jump in

Yemen-Saudi Arabia Issue: Pakistan will follow what the Parliament House decides, Defence Ministry has said., and the coming days will be crucial as Pakistan will not stay silent if Saudi Arabia faces instability. Pakistan has decided not to send troops to join the fight against Yemen, but the atomic power is firm to support its long-time friend in case its stability is in trouble. Forces under the leadership of Saudi Arabia have bombed several hideouts of Yemen Houthi rebels in the last three days, and thee confrontation is about get more serious in coming days. 
Urdu News: Yemen and Saudi Arabia war, Shia-Sunni confrontation and Iran-Middle East friction
Saudi Arabia decided to confrontYemen rebels head-on after Iran-backed Ansarullah seized key cities and toppled the President. Yemen is a Sunni majority country, but rebels organized under the banner of Ansraullah are mostly Houthi tribe, a Zaidi Shiite sect with ties to Iran. The shelter given from Iran to Houthi rebels was enough to infuriate Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East is now involved in the ongoing escalation.



There is a possibility that Pakistan might be forced to join the party and support its Arab allies, but war experts have said the confrontation can get a bit too dangerous for every single country involved in the conflict. Iran, on the other hand, is isolated, but has been gaining ground in the Middle East politics, especially after it tamped down an rebellion in Syria with the help of its close ally Hezbollah.

There is another danger, and this one is rather much more complicated and dreadful, that the battle might spill over to other regions fast. Iran, which is allegedly supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen, will want to flex its muscles over the ongoing confrontation in which about 10 Arab states band together and invade rebel-held areas. Yemen's economy is already in a tight spot, and Saudi's involvement has pushed up oil prices, a concern that is worrying the United States as well.