ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir on Monday refused to divulge the ‘operational details’ of deployment of Pakistan Army troops in Saudi Arabia as he was summoned by Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani for a briefing to the Upper House on the issue.
The refusal by the defence minister prompted Rabbani to threaten him with ‘contempt of parliament’ proceedings. “Why don’t we proceed against you and the prime minister over contempt of parliament?” Rabbani asked Dastagir after the minister revealed that it was Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who green-lighted the deployment.
Dastagir even turned down a proposal floated by Rabbani for an in-camera session, saying, “Even in an in-camera session, we’d request not to be asked questions on the exact nature of deployment as this is an issue relating to the national security and that of the troops.”
The Senate chairman censured Dastagir for not taking the House into confidence even though both the defence minister and the prime minister had knowledge of the decision for several months. “The parliament found out [about the deployment] through a press release,” Rabbani said. “The executive has itself rubbed parliament’s nose in the dirt.”
However, the defence minister argued that despite the decision of sending troops to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan remained ‘neutral’ in line with a unanimous resolution passed by a joint sitting of parliament in 2015 stating that Islamabad will not become party to any war in the Middle East or any Arab state.
Disclosing the size of the deployment for the first time since the decision was announced, Dastagir said a total of 1,000 Pakistani troops were being sent to the Kingdom on a ‘training mission’. He said 1,600 Pakistani soldiers were already stationed in Saudi Arabia.
The defence minister attempted to assure Senate that the troops will not be deployed outside the Kingdom’s territory. Rabbani expressed a lack of confidence in the assurance, saying this information was already known. “The House is not satisfied with your response,” he told Dastagir.
Senator Farhatullah Babar stressed that all concerns remain despite the defence minister’s statement. “Has a decision been taken to deploy troops at the border of [the southern Saudi province of] Sharura,” he asked. “Don’t ask where in Saudi Arabia the troops will be deployed,” the minister responded.
“Don’t give us a lollipop … we are not kids,” Rabbani told the defence minister, adding that he (the minister) could not hide any information from parliament.
The minister said that Pakistan shared long-lasting and strong terms with Saudi Arabia. He said that the deputation was a continuation of the ongoing support and within the confines of joint parliamentary resolution of April 2015.
“The training of Saudi forces is governed by 1982 bilateral protocol regarding the deployment of Pakistan’s armed forces personnel,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also hold joint defence exercises regularly.
Expressing displeasure with the ‘incomplete’ briefing, Rabbani asked the minister to clarify the matter and answer concerns of the senators with regard to dispatching the troops to Saudi Arabia.
Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan said that he was not opposing military relations with Saudi Arabia, but asked whether the ministry contemplated what influence this action would have on neighbouring states, particularly Iran.
Aitzaz said that Saudi Arabia had a ‘hostile’ stance towards Iran and any action in this regard could cause tensions to escalate between Islamabad and Tehran.
The defence minister was summoned by the House for a briefing after certain senators had expressed concerns over the recent statement given by the army.
“In continuation of ongoing Pak-KSA bilateral security cooperation, a Pakistan Army contingent is being sent to KSA on training and advice mission,” Pakistan Army’s media cell had stated last week.
The announcement had come after Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki reportedly discussed ‘regional security situation’ with Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at a meeting held at the GHQ. The latter had also recently met Crown Prince Salman and Saudi military commanders during a three-day visit to the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has been demanding the deployment of Pakistani troops since the start of the Yemen conflict in 2015.
Published in Daily Times, February 20th 2018.
