‘Training elements, not fighting force being sent to Saudi Arabia,’ PM Abbasi clarifies

Attempting to clear the air on Pakistani troops being sent to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that “training elements” rather than fighting forces are being sent to the Kingdom.

“The reality is very different from the perception,” the prime minister said in an interview aired on Thursday on Express News. “There is no deployment from here. No force is going to attack anyone over there.”

Last week, a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) saying that a Pakistan Army contingent would be stationed in Saudi Arabia on a “training and advisory mission” had fuelled fears of Pakistan being sucked into the Yemen conflict.

He said that Pakistani forces have been present in Saudi since the past forty years for training purposes and that the recent send-off was also a part of the same procedure. “Some personnel go and some come back. Sometimes they are less and more at other times. This is routine practice. There is nothing new.”

He categorically denounced the perception of a large contingent being sent and planning of an attack on Yemen.

Abbasi also asserted that the parliament would be provided with any details of the troops being sent. “Any details asked for will be provided,” he asserted, adding: “Defence minister has given a clear statement in the Senate and if the house feels, I will also give one.”