Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani praised the Pakistani parliament for voting not to join the Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.
“Participating in such a war will be against the interests of all Muslim countries,” IRNA reported Larijani as saying on Saturday. Pointing to the Saudi assault on Yemen, Larijani said the conflict will “no doubt sap the energy and resources of both sides,” which he said will eventually weaken the Muslims.
Noting that the military campaign is neither rational nor consistent with religious tenets, he said it is not right for Muslim nations to use their resources to destroy one another instead of backing each other.
The senior lawmaker also pointed to the chaotic situation in the Middle East and said the region had rarely experienced such critical conditions before. He attributed the current turmoil mostly to the presence of terrorist groups who have made the living conditions tense and difficult for Muslims.
Pakistan’s parliament voted on Friday not to join the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, Reuters reported.
Saudi Arabia had asked Islamabad to provide ships, aircraft, and troops for the campaign. However, after days of debating, Pakistani lawmakers adopted a resolution calling on the warring parties to resolve the conflict through peaceful dialogue, rejecting to become militarily involved in the strikes.
Pakistani MPs unanimously voted in favor of a resolution saying that, “Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis.”
The Saudi-led alliance began air strikes in Yemen on March 26 after Houthi fighters, who already control the capital, began a rapid advance toward the southern port city of Aden.
