Should Pakistan Declare Houthis Terrorists?

Pakistan has recently entered a deeper security relationship with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement establishes that an armed attack on any one of these countries will be treated as an attack on all three. Pakistan also views this agreement as defensive and not directed against any specific nation. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding Pakistan's foreign policy and whether the Houthis should be considered terrorists.

Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, a Pakistani religious scholar, has declared the Houthis to be terrorists, stating that they have no connection to Islam. While he is entitled to his opinion, the larger question remains: who truly represents Pakistan in matters of foreign affairs? Pakistan is home to millions of Muslims belonging to various schools of thought, and there is no legal requirement for a single cleric or political party to speak on behalf of all.

The issue at hand is not solely a religious one, but also political. The Houthi conflict in Yemen is primarily about resistance against Saudi intervention and foreign influence, as described by the Houthis themselves. Opponents, on the other hand, view the Houthis differently. Pakistan's history of involving itself in regional wars through religious politics could lead to negative consequences.

One must also consider whether Pakistani clerics genuinely represent all Pakistanis or merely their respective organizations and specific schools of thought. The Constitution of Pakistan acknowledges the existence of different Muslim sects and provides for the Council of Islamic Ideology as a constitutional advisory body; however, this does not imply that every cleric has the authority to dictate a national religious stance or change Pakistan's legal position.

Even if Pakistan chooses to formally designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization through legal channels, Ashrafi's statement alone does not achieve this. Moreover, labeling an entire movement as "un-Islamic" might inadvertently transform a geopolitical dispute into a sectarian issue within Pakistan, which is counterproductive.

Pakistan can maintain its strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia without falsely representing that every Pakistani Muslim has been consulted. It can also protect its defense agreement with Riyadh without turning every foreign policy disagreement into a religious test. If Pakistan intends to label the Houthis as terrorists, it should do so through the state apparatus, not through an individual cleric claiming to represent 250 million people.