Pakistani PM urges Iran to bring Yemen's Huthis to talks

Pakistan's prime minister on Monday called on Iran to use its influence to help bring Yemen's Houthis to the negotiating table on the crisis roiling their country, where Saudi-led airstrikes have been targeting the Houthis for over two weeks, ABC News reported.

The call came after the parliament in Sunni-majority Pakistan voted on Friday against contributing troops to the Saudi-led coalition, as Pakistani officials said the kingdom had requested. Lawmakers also unanimously demanded that Pakistan "maintain its neutrality in the Yemen conflict" in order to help negotiate a diplomatic solution.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he had discussed Yemen in depth with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who visited Islamabad last week, and that he denounced the power grab by the Yemeni Houthis.

"The violent overthrow of Yemen's legitimate government by the Houthis has set a dangerous precedent," Sharif said. "It is fraught with serious risks for the entire region."