IT was late spring, yet Islamabad was gripped by a heated debate over whether Pakistan should send its troops to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Saudi-Yemen war. The joint session of parliament deliberated for five days, reflecting an unusual level of engagement, as it is rare in Pakistan’s history for parliament to decide matters concerning security and foreign policy.

A similar moment had emerged in May 2009, when the military leadership sought parliamentary support to launch Operation Rah-i-Raast in Swat against what was at that time described and debated as action against its ‘own people’.

After a few days, parliament concluded on April 10, 2015, that Pakistan should remain neutral in the Yemen conflict to play a proactive diplomatic role in ending the crisis. Indeed, it was a crucial decision that parliament made, one which the establishment could not have afforded to take unilaterally; parliament had provided it full support.

Has such a moment arisen again? Pakistan’s leadership is once again hesitant to play a role in the Middle East, ie, to announce its participation in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which will be tasked with securing reconstruction zones and supporting a post-conflict governance arrangement in Gaza.

Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, along with a delegation, went to Washington where they attended a Donald Trump-led Board of Peace meeting, during which the American president and Mr Sharif exchanged “traditional greetings”, with a reminder........

© Dawn