Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to come to their aid in war against Houthis of Yemen. PM Nawaz Sharif had called a joint session of parliament to decide whether to send Pakistan Army troops or not. The Parliament decided to show neutrality towards the issue on 10th April, 2015.

UAE's Reaction on Pakistan's Decision:-

“The Arabian Gulf is in a dangerous confrontation, its strategic security is on the edge, and the moment of truth distinguishes between the real ally and the ally of media and statements,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash tweeted after a unanimous resolution passed by a special session of Pakistan’s parliament.

The resolution, however, backed the government’s commitment to protect Saudi Arabia’s territory, which has so far not been threatened by the conflict.

Gargash said Pakistan is required to show a clear stand in favour of its strategic relations with the six-nation Arab Gulf cooperation Council, as contradictory and ambiguous views on this serious matter will have a heavy price to pay.

For the last so many days we have been hearing that Saudi Arabia has called upon Pakistani Army to fight against Yemeni Houthis. Before getting to any decision that whether Pakistan should join this war or not we need to have the Background Knowledge of the Yemeni Crisis and Houthis. This post is a brief overview on the whole scenario.

Where is YEMEN:-

Yemen lies to the south of Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula. As can be seen in the image:-

Who are Houthis:-

      In Yemen there are two major Muslim sects the Sunnis and the Shia. Sunni and Shia conflict has been there in Yemen for quite a long time. Houthi is a Shia group in Yemen (mostly north) who declared insurgency against Yemeni parliament in 2004. The name Houthi is derived from he name of their leader Hussain Badruddin Houthi. In 2014 Mansur Hadi was the president of Yemen and was residing in Sana'a, the Houthis attacked Sana'a and demanded  a coalition Government with Hadi in the Capital. Hadi fled to Aden with his supporters backing him and declared himself as the sole leader of Yemen.      

Brief Background of Yemeni War:-

           After Houthis Captured the capital and Hadi residing in Aden and declaring it as temporary capital, clashes continued mounting between the Houthis and Hadi's supporters. Houthis advanced to Aden and captured areas surrounding it. On 25 March 2015 Saudi Arabia and several other countries announced that they had begun military operations in Yemen against Houthi rebels. Bahrain, Kuwait,U.A.E and Qatar issued a statement along with Saudi Arabia saying their goal is to eradicate Houthi invasion in Yemen. Jordon, Morocco, Sudan and Egypt have also joined in.

Saudi Call on Pakistan Army for help:-

    On 28th March, Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz during a telephonic conversation asked Prime minister Nawaz Sharif to send Pakistan Army to protect the holy land in the wake of insurgency from Houthis in Sana'a Yemen.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ensured full support to Salman Bin Aziz and has stressed that " all potentials of the Pakistan Army are offered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" Saudi Press Agency reported on 28th March.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has called a joint session of parliament to discuss whether to send Pakistan Army or not.


Pakistan's Parliament has declared neutrality in Yemen War and has encouraged peace talks.This was decided on 10th April, 2015.