"Control over the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is the real bone of contention
between the Saudi regime and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The strategic
strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti
and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf
of Aden.
The strait is important as world’s most important shipments cross this
strait. Chinese trade is the biggest followed by other countries. The
city of Aden in southern Yemen has long been an important port at the
crossroads of some of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The Gulf of Aden, off Yemen’s coast, sees huge tonnage in merchant
shipping: Three million barrels of oil pass through these waters every
day. To the north is the Suez Canal and refineries at the Saudi port
of Yanbu; to the south are the Indian Ocean and shipping lanes to
energy-hungry Asian markets"
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/04/11/comment/yielding-to-the-yemen-temptation/
Yielding to the Yemen temptation
46 MINS AGO BY MIAN ABRAR
What would we have got?
History repeats itself again and again. And we have a history of
learning nothing from history. We are good at repeating our blunders
which seems have no end. Repeating its role of rent-an-army, it seems,
Pakistan once again came close to playing the mercenary-role, this
time in the Saudi Arabia-led ten-nation offensive on Houthi rebels in
Yemen. Does it surprise anyone? Sources in the government say the
decision had been taken even before the joint session, even though it
did not quite come up to the government’s expectation.
The international and Arabian media had been telling us about
Pakistan’s pledge to join the war expedition into Yemen since Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif had been given a red-carpet welcome in Riyadh in
first week of March. It was intriguing that the newly crowned Saudi
monarch, King Salman, came to the airport to greet Sharif. This meant
something big was coming Pakistan’s way.
Since the media reports were suggesting that Pakistan was going to
jump into fire again, it was claimed that Nawaz Sharif had given full
assurance to join forces to conquer Yemen. Even Pakistani flag was
placed visibly among the ten-nation coalition flags backstage whenever
the Saudi officials briefed the media on the ongoing airstrikes of the
coalition forces.
On electronic and print media outlets, historians and analysts were
warning the government not to join the inferno in Yemen and rather to
focus on efforts to purge the country of its homegrown terrorists.
Social media has become a hub for people to express their anger at the
government’s greed. The Arab blaze has already eaten away parts of
Libya, Iraq and Syria. And Egypt is already involved. What is the need
for Pakistan to jump into the inferno?
Politicians and army are telling us to be pragmatic the way every
state takes decisions in their own interest, Pakistan needs to take
decisions in its national interest too. But they are short of words
when asked what we got from our role in Afghan war?
Yes, some generals became filthy rich as was the case with our
political elite who also grabbed whatever was left-over but what did
the people get? We got a bunch of extremist groups who were given a
license to kill in the name of God. We got mercenaries roaming around
in our streets hunting so-called ‘non-believers’? We got mushroom
growth of radicalised madrassas where innocent children were taught
hatred.
In a bid to understand the Saudi Arabian quest into Yemen, one needs
to understand that it is neither a war between Sunnis and Shia’, nor
is it about Iran. Rather, the strategic location of Yemen brings it to
focus for super power America as well as Saudi Arabia.
Control over the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is the real bone of contention
between the Saudi regime and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The strategic
strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti
and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf
of Aden.
The strait is important as world’s most important shipments cross this
strait. Chinese trade is the biggest followed by other countries. The
city of Aden in southern Yemen has long been an important port at the
crossroads of some of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The Gulf of Aden, off Yemen’s coast, sees huge tonnage in merchant
shipping: Three million barrels of oil pass through these waters every
day. To the north is the Suez Canal and refineries at the Saudi port
of Yanbu; to the south are the Indian Ocean and shipping lanes to
energy-hungry Asian markets.
Yes, Saudi Arabia will get its puppet installed in Yemen to safeguard
its interests. The US would find a place to have its hand on the
button to deny sea route to Chinese trade
Yemen also overlooks a maritime “choke-point,” a narrow passage like
the Strait of Hormuz at the tip of the Persian Gulf. At its narrowest,
the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is just 12 miles wide, with Yemen on one side
and Djibouti on the other. Little wonder Djibouti has become an
important outpost for the US and French military.
One can find the root-cause of Yemen-Hijaz discord in history.
Moreover, the Saudi regime also wants to continue its hold over the
rich oil resources of Yemen as Houthis are in no mood to allow the
Saudi Arabian hold on their resources.
Yemen is home to warriors and rebels. It is also the land of tribal
disputes, discord and conflicts since long due to its strategic
location, which makes Yemen the most important place in the heart of
the Arab peninsula.
Abraha, the man who led a military expedition against the Quraish of
Mecca in year 570 AD was actually from Yemen. Since Abraha’s army was
travelling on elephants, the incident is referred as the ‘Year of the
Elephant’. The incident has been referred in the holy Quran in the
Surat al-Fil which states that Abraha perished in his bid to conquer
Mecca.
Though the Saudi regime is claiming to lead a “Sunni alliance” of ten
nations against “Shi’a Houthis”, the matter of fact is that neither
Saudi rulers are Sunnis nor the Houthi rebels are Shi’a. While the
Arabian regime follows the Salafite sect, the Houthis follow the
teachings of Imam Shafai. So Houthis are more close to their Sunni
brethren.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Ziyad founded the Ziyadi dynasty in Tihama
around 818 AD. The first Zaidi Imam, Yahya ibn al-Husayn, arrived to
Yemen in 893 AD. He was the founder of the Zaidi imamate in 897. He
was a religious cleric and judge who was invited to come from Medina
to arbitrate tribal disputes.
Moreover, if the Saudi Arabia-led coalition wants to reinstate a
legitimate president in Yemen, they would have to eat their words as
Hadi is not an elected leader. Rather, he is a Saudi puppet.
Hadi was vice president under President Ali Abdullah Saleh, when
Houthi’s rebellion strengthened in 2011. When the popular movement
grew stronger, Saleh fled to Saudi Arabia and his deputy, Hadi, was
given charge. Hadi served as acting president while Ali Abdullah Saleh
was undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia following an attack
on the presidential palace during the 2011 Yemeni uprising.
Then, on November23, Hadi became acting president again, after Saleh
moved into a non-active role pending the presidential election “in
return for immunity from prosecution”. Hadi was “expected to form a
national unity government and also call for presidential elections
within 90 days” while Saleh continued to serve as president in name
only.
However, Hadi’s promise to hold elections in 90 days never
materialised, the way General Zia-ul-Haq never held polls despite his
promise to hold election in 90 days after the coup in 1977.
So, if we were going into a war just to reinstate an illegitimate
ruler in Yemen, what are we going to get? Yes, Saudi Arabia will get
its puppet installed in Yemen to safeguard its interests. The US would
find a place to have its hand on the button to deny sea route to
Chinese trade. But what we will get is a million dollar question only
known to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or Army Chief General Raheel
Sharif.
Received on Fri Apr 10 2015 - 19:56:01 EDT