ISLAMABAD  -   In what can be termed utter violation and disregard of the parliament’s unanimous resolution, Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani’s recent visit to headquarters of the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen has raised many an eyebrow.

Last week, the Senate chairman during his official visit to Saudi Arabia visited headquarters of the military alliance what was described by the Senate Secretariat as the “Saudi-led Military Alliance for Restoration of Legitimate Government in Yemen”.

On December 20, the Senate Secretariat through an official statement said that Sanjrani visited the Headquarters of the “military alliance established under command of Saudi Arabia for restoration of legitimate government in Yemen” — a move that has not only surprised many but also has caused distress among many members of the Senate, both from the position and the treasury benches.

In April 2015, a joint sitting of the parliament through a unanimous resolution had said that Pakistan would stay neutral to the Yemen crisis. The resolution passed by a special joint session after five days long debate on Yemen crisis urged the then government that Pakistan should play a mediating role to end the conflict. “Parliament desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis,” said the resolution. The same year, Saudi-led coalition had launched a military intervention in Yemen by bombing Houthi rebels and the special session of parliament was summoned following the request of the Saudi government to Pakistan to send its troops to join the fight.

In background interviews, many sitting and former lawmakers of the Senate have viewed that the chairman Senate by visiting the headquarters of the alliance has given a message that Pakistan was no more neutral to the crisis. They have termed it complete disrespect of the parliament from none other than a custodian of one of the two houses of the parliament.

“Chairman Sanjrani’s visit to the headquarters of ‘Military Alliance for Restoration of Legitimate Government in Yemen’ a thoughtless and irresponsible move that strikes at the very root of parliament’s call for neutrality,” said former senator and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Farhatullah Babar. “The very title of the Saudi-led alliance is a confirmation of interference by the alliance in the internal affairs of Yemen. Chairman’s visit is an endorsement of the partisan alliance itself, and tears apart the claim of neutrality,” he said adding that Sanjrani was ill-advised. Babar said that the move would also offend Iran.

The chairman Senate along with his nine member delegation competed his four-day official visit to Saudi Arabia on last Friday. During the time, he also visited headquarters of 41-nation Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) in Riyadh where he held a meeting with the IMCTC Commander (Retd) General Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s former chief of army staff (COAS).

On the eve of visit of headquarters of Saudi-led alliance fighting in Yemen, the Senate Secretariat said that Chief of the Military Alliance Lieutenant General Prince Fahad Bin Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud gave a briefing to the visiting delegation regarding the joint military forces and their operations. “Pakistan supports unconditional restoration of peace (in Yemen) and return of occupying rebel forces,” Sanjrani was quoted by Senate Secretariat as saying. “Chairman Senate appreciated the efforts of the joint military forces in restoration of peace in Yemen. The delegation was told by the chief of military alliance that prominent success has been achieved in restoring peace and return of rebels in Yemen,” the secretariat said.

The Senate Secretariat quoting the chairman Senate also said that Sanjrani further “expressed his hope that the coalition of military forces would garner more support from other countries and be more successful. He said that the “efforts of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman have taken all possible measures for bringing peace in Yemen and for rehabilitation of people which is highly commendable.”