Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has lashed out at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for condemning a resolution passed by the Pakistani parliament that called for Islamabad to take a "neutral stance" and stay out of the conflict in Yemen.
Anwar Gargash, the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, had earlier criticized Pakistan's vote on Saturday by branding it "contradictory and dangerous and unexpected." He accused Islamabad of siding with Tehran, which is accused of backing Shia Houthi rebels, reported the Dawn.
Gargash had warned that Pakistan's stance would come at a "high cost."
In a strongly-worded statement, Nisar accused the UAE of "leveling threats" and added that the statement made by its minister violated all principals of international relations. He said that it was not just "ironic" but a "thought-provoking moment" that a UAE minister was hurling threats at Pakistan.
Nisar added that Gargash's statement was equivalent to "an offence against the ego of Pakistan and its people" and was unacceptable.
The statements came after Pakistan's Parliament passed a resolution on Friday backing the government's commitment to protect Saudi Arabia's territory from Houthi rebels but stopped short of committing military support to the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen.