Kuwaiti daily hits out at Pak for refusing to commit ground troops to Saudi-led offensive in Yemen

An editorial published in a Kuwaiti daily has accused Pakistani leaders of political blackmail and lashed out at the nation for failing to deliver on its pan-Islamic pledges after Pakistani Parliament passed a resolution that forbade the nation from providing military support to the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen.

Ahmad Al Jarallah, the editor-in-chief of Al Seyassah daily, said in a scathing editorial piece that the "neutral" stance adopted by Pakistan had dropped the "blackmail masks" about protecting sacred Islamic sites and sharing a common destiny with Muslim countries, reported Gulf News.

Jarallah remarked that the slogans were merely political blackmailing tools and added that Pakistan was using them to "feed its crisis-hit economy."

The editorial also accused Pakistan of bowing to Iran amid concerns it would suffer a defeat at the hands of Iran's religious leaders, who it said were experts in generating terrorist groups. "There is no doubt that the Pakistani leadership has made a mistake by betting on Iran," it said.

Jarallah also said that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries did not need Pakistan but it was Pakistan who needed them in various areas. He added that the GCC was capable of defending itself, particularly after forming an alliance with Jordan and Egypt. But it warned that Pakistan needed to look carefully at the Iranian plots.

The statements came after Pakistan's Parliament passed a resolution on Friday backing the government's commitment to protect Saudi Arabia's territory from Houthi rebels but stopped short of committing military support to the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen. Riyadh wanted Islamabad to assist them with ground troops, fighter jets and naval ships.