Islamabad, April 13 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for restoration of the government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, saying it would be an important step to ensure peace in the war-torn country.
Sharif was speaking at a televised address days after parliament urged the government to stay neutral in the conflict in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia had formally requested Pakistan to provide fighter jets, warships and ground troops, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had told the parliament last week.
However, the prime minister did not give any hint about Pakistan military support at the moment and renewed his government’s previous stance that Islamabad will defend Saudi Arabia if its territorial integrity is threatened.
The prime minister defended the parliamentary resolution which also said that “any violation of the Saudi territorial sovereignty will evoke a strong response from Pakistan”, according to Xinhua.
The United Arab Emirates, an ally of Saudi Arabia in the conflict, had criticised what it called “Pakistan’s vague stance” on the issue.
Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the actions by the Houthis and other non-state actors to overthrow the legitimate government of Yemen and expressed serious concern at the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
“We believe that the restoration of President Hadi’s government will be an important step forward towards establishing peace in Yemen,” he said.
He also called for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis through dialogue among the warring factions.
Sharif travelled to Turkey this month for talks on Yemen crisis and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited Islamabad to discuss the issue.
He said Pakistan will intensify its diplomatic efforts in the coming days, in consultation with the leadership of Saudi Arabia, to resolve the crisis.