News   /   Pakistan   /   News

Pakistani PM seeking diplomatic solution to Yemen crisis

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed hope about the prospects of a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Yemen which has come under a deadly air campaign by neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Sharif told a Tuesday special parliamentary debate on Yemen that he thinks the planned diplomatic efforts over Yemen would produce results.

The Pakistani premier also said that the country is "not in a hurry" to decide whether to join the Saudi aggression against Yemen amid Riyadh’s calls on Islamabad to contribute planes, ships and ground troops to its ongoing operation.

Pakistan has so far declined to agree to the demand, urging a diplomatic solution instead as it says Islamabad does not seek to join any conflict that would fuel sectarian divisions in the Muslim world.

Sharif has said that his country’s participation in the offensive in Yemen should be supported by the parliament which held a special session on Tuesday to debate the matter.

Supporters of Houthis hold a banner during a demonstration against the Saudi attacks on Yemen on April 6, 2015 in the old city of the capital of Sana’a. © AFP

 

He highlighted that he does not want to manipulate the lawmakers “to get a mandate,” adding, “Take your time, we are not in a hurry, we will take all your good points and I want the parliament also to say something about demands of our friends.”

Sharif met his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu over the state of affairs in Yemen in the capital city of Ankara on Friday and said afterwards that both nations want a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Arab country.

More negotiations with the participation of Turkey, Iran and Pakistan are planned to take place, with Sharif saying that he expects the diplomatic efforts to bear fruit rapidly.

Yemenis inspect the rubble of destroyed houses in the village of Bani Matar, 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Sana’a, on April 4, 2015, a day after it was hit by a Saudi airstrike. © AFP

 

 Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen started on March 26, without a UN mandate, in a bid to restore power to fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. The airstrikes have killed hundreds of people and injured thousands more.

MR/NN/HRB


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku