As the fighting in Yemen drags on, the challenges the citizens have to face are getting direr. Time and again, many concerned diplomatic allies have pointed out the need to review the war policy and reflect on how beneficial it is proving for all the parties involved. The core concern lying at the bottom of these activities is the concern for the people of Yemen and establishing a government which is not weak and is able to keep the rebels in control.
With no end to the fighting in sight, a political peaceful solution seems to be the only way out.
History is witness to how nations have been left economically and structurally weak when a military solution is sought. None of the parties involved then want to take ownership of the destruction caused, and there are no effective plans chalked out for protecting civilians. Furthermore, recent reports filed by UN-mandated investigators have said that they had “reasonable grounds” to believe that all combatant groups have committed “substantial number of violations of international humanitarian law” in the conflict. These reports are quite troubling and make it clear that the time to seek peace is now.
The war is also a manifestation of the differences in the Muslim world. It is high time that Pakistan remembers that the parliament voted not only to stay out of the conflict, but to actively foster an agreement between the warring parties. The new government’s manifesto and Imran Khan’s inaugural speech, all placed heavy emphasis on acting as a peace-broker in the Muslim world. With Islamophobia on the rise around the world and multiple nationalist and protectionist parties finding traction in their countries, the time for the Muslim world to set aside their differences and work together is upon us.