The Houthi insurgency and the consequent Saudi-led military action against it has led to air strikes and enhanced armed conflict in Yemen. In the midst of this conflict, thousands of Pakistani expatriates have found themselves trapped in a war zone. Of the 3,000 Pakistanis currently living in Yemen, only 1,000 are trying to return home. Yet the government is dedicated in its efforts to evacuate all 3,000 people. Pakistani prisoners in Yemen have also appealed to the government about being extradited for fear of “intense bombing” and “abuse” from other prisoners. It is critical to not leave anyone behind, including the Pakistani prisoners in Sanaa and other cities. Although the state gave a delayed response to the burgeoning crisis in Yemen, the Pakistanis there and their families are grateful for the comprehensive evacuation efforts. The government has sent multiple PIA flights and a naval ship to Yemen and 1,000 people are to be brought back to Pakistan over the course of two days, many of whom have already returned safely. According to a press release from the Pakistan Navy, it “maintains a high degree of readiness, both in peace and war, to undertake a range of military, constabulary, diplomatic and benign operations”. The vague language of this press release implies that Pakistan’s Navy is not only ready to evacuate Pakistani citizens stranded in Yemen, but also to participate in any military operations there, if such a time comes. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered King Salman of Saudi Arabia “all potentials of the Pakistan army” in a telephone conversation with him on March 28. Because of Pakistan’s and the Prime Minister’s own political and economic ties with Saudi Arabia, it might prove difficult for our government to refuse the Saudi’s request. PPP has also supported Saudi strikes in Yemen and encouraged the assistance of Pakistani troops in this conflict. However, such action will only lead to further warfare and stoke the fires of sectarian strife here. The Pakistani army currently has its hands full in combating terrorism, a considerable chunk of which is motivated by sectarianism. Hence, participating in the fighting in Yemen is certainly not in Pakistan’s best interests. It is impossible to tell at this point whether the Pakistani military will join the fighting in Yemen, but political leaders definitely seem to be leaning towards this measure. The JUI-F has suggested an all parties conference to determine whether to accept the Saudi request for troops. It behoves the PML-N government to make this decision democratically instead of unilaterally or covertly. It seem unlikely that the conflict in Yemen will threaten the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia. However, Pakistan can accede to providing a defensive military force to protect the Saudi-Yemen border without participating in the intervention within Yemen.There was a summit of Arab leaders to discuss the formation of a unified military force against possible “security threats from Yemen to Libya”. The leaders encouraged the Arab states and other Muslim countries to lend their voluntary support in this endeavour. It seems as though the Saudis are preparing to fight anyone who appears to challenge their supremacy in the Muslim world. Since the Houthis are backed by Iran, a rising Shia power, this war seems like a sectarian proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran for control of the Muslim world. The war in Yemen is definitely controversial if nothing else and will definitely exacerbate the ongoing Shia-Sunni conflict in Muslim countries. Given the growing threat of violent extremism in the Muslim world, it is time for the leaders of the Middle East and other Muslim countries to be united against Islamic State (IS) and other such groups rather than battling each other. Former President Saleh appealed to the Arab leaders to start negotiations to quell the conflict but the current Saudi-supported president Hadi has rejected the idea. However, negotiations are a far more constructive way of resolving these issues and the Pakistani government should facilitate talks. Pakistan needs to emerge as a neutral third party in this conflict and, if possible, help resolve it as quickly as possible to abate further bloodshed. *