Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Religious Harmony and the Pakistani Diaspora in the Middle East and Muslim Countries, has made a strong statement on the conflict in Yemen. Hafiz Ashrafi described Yemen’s Houthis as terrorists. He also rejected reports that the current war is a Shia-Sunni conflict. The remarks came during an international conference.

Ashrafi claimed that nobody should frame the Houthi actions as a war between two Islamic sects. However, he said the war was not a fight between two countries either. Instead, he claimed a group that seeks to attack innocent people was waging it. The rejection of the sectarian label formed a central part of his message.

Meanwhile, the gathering brought together Muslim scholars and religious authorities from around the world. Ashrafi’s role focuses on religious harmony and on Pakistanis living across the Middle East and Muslim countries. His words carry weight because his official post covers Muslim countries and the diaspora.

His comments on Saudi Arabia were equally direct and left little room for interpretation. Ashrafi also claimed that Pakistan fully supports Saudi Arabia and the holy sites in the Kingdom. He said the security of the “Land of the Two Holy Mosques” was an absolute red line. Furthermore, he claimed that the Pakistani government, armed forces, religious scholars and people stood alongside Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, the message to the audience was that Pakistan backs the Kingdom on security. The statement came from a senior Pakistani official and reached an international audience. Ashrafi said Pakistan would keep standing with Saudi Arabia under King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Still, he stressed that this support covers the challenges facing the Kingdom.

Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi made these remarks while addressing religious leaders from many countries. Finally, all of these points reflect what Ashrafi claimed at the conference.