ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir said the finaldecision to send Pakistan Army troops to Saudi Arabia was taken after therules of engagement were clarified.
“Negotiations were ongoing regarding the rules of engagement, and once weattained clarity on the issue that the troops will be on a training andadvisory mission to strengthen the ground defence of Saudi Arabia, thetroops were sent,” said the defence minister.
He elaborated that Pakistani troops are needed to better train and adviseSaudi troops as the country has come under repeated missile attacks fromYemen’s Houthi militia.
“We only want to train their forces and better advise them. The areasbordering Yemen are mountainous, and as Pakistan’s army is highly trainedin mountain warfare, we will train and advise them.When asked how thePakistani forces will assist in stopping the missile attacks, Dastgir said,”we will not be giving them air defence”.
Regarding the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchlist, the defenceminister said it was the first time that the United States was using it tofurther political aims as the organisation has existed for decades.
“This is the first time the US is using the task force for political meansto pressurise Pakistan.”
He said that the country was added to the watchlist in 2012, and when thePML-N government came to power in 2013, “it took measures due to whichPakistan was removed from the list in 2015”.
When asked why other European countries, which are deemed to be friendlytowards Pakistan including the United Kingdom, are supporting the motion,the defence minister said countries bargain with each other oninternational forums and in this case, the countries thought that thepolitical cost would be less when compared with the benefits of betterrelations with the US.
“We have to act according to law, and where needed laws were drafted andimplemented upon.”
He added that the US has chosen to pressure Pakistan economically before ittakes any other measures.
Dastgir further elaborated upon diplomatic measures taken by Pakistan tocounter the latest American move and expressed hope that the financialaction task force can be restrained to its official mandate instead ofbecoming a tool for political pressure.
“It will be unjustified to add Pakistan again on the watchlist as mattershave improved further after 2015.”
Following Thursday’s announcement, the ISPR explained that the troops to bedeployed, or the ones already there, will not be stationed outside theKingdom.The ISPR said that the military contingent is part of the ongoingPakistan-Saudi bilateral cooperation, under which a number of Pakistanitroops are already stationed in Saudi Arabia for advisory roles.
However, the number of troops being deployed at present has not beendisclosed.