Pakistani Political Group Slams Islamabad’s Support for Riyadh
In a telephone conversation with Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs, political affairs secretary of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, Nasser Shirazi, regretted Islamabad’s recent statement in which the government backed Saudi claims about Yemenis’ planned attack on Mecca.
Saudi Arabia claimed last week that it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen toward Mecca.
Riyadh claimed Houthi fighters launched a Scud missile from Saada province toward Mecca at 21:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Thursday.
The Houthis confirmed the launch of a Scud-type ballistic missile known as Burkan-1 into Saudi Arabia, but said the projectile was targeting the city of Jeddah – not Islam’s holiest city, which lies just over 60 kilometers (37 miles) away.
However, Pakistani foreign ministry sided with Riyadh on the issue, releasing a statement condemning what it called "the atrocious crime” carried out by the Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Why does the Pakistani government show no reaction to the barbaric bombing of the Yemeni people by Saudi Arabia but supports Riyadh’s baseless allegations against Ansarullah without verifying them and issues statement against the movement, Nasser Shirazi wondered.
He underlined that Pakistan should have an independent foreign policy.
