By Usman Ansari
ISLAMABAD — Analysts are unsure how Pakistan will contribute to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen now that it appears to have committed itself. They say the Army and Air Force are preoccupied at home fighting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), but its relationship with Riyadh left it with little choice but to fall into line.
Though having been reported as being a member of the coalition, Pakistan had hitherto only pledged to defend Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity, not become involved in military action in Yemen.
There seems to be little domestic appetite for the Yemeni operation in Pakistan due to fears of blowback from a wider sectarian conflict.
Former Australian defense attache to Islamabad Brian Cloughley says there is also little support for the mission within Pakistan's military, but he notes that the military leadership can be overruled by the prime minister.
According to Maj Gen Asif Bajwa, the head of the military's inter services media relation's branch, the Army already has nearly 300 personnel in Saudi Arabia. They have been taking part in Samsun 5, the latest in a series of annual bilateral military exercises, but any link with the ongoing situation has been denied.
However, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday was reported to have agreed to fully support the operation, and that it has been the source of bilateral discussions for a number of months.
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