Pakistan consents written Saudi request to allow Raheel Sharif to lead military alliance

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has confirmed that the government has agreed to give a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to former Chief of Army Staff General (Retd) Raheel Sharif to lead a Saudi military alliance under Saudi Arabia.

The revelation was made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in Geo News programme Jirga which will be aired on Sunday (today) at 10:00 PM.
The minister said that official documentation in this regard had not been done but the government had agreed in principle, adding that the government had received a written request from the Saudi government.
Asif added that he had visited Saudi Arabia for Umrah earlier this year, and had also met officials of the Saudi government.
He said that in May the advisory board of defense ministers of member countries will attend a meeting held in this regard, adding that the structure of the alliance had not been decided so far. “When General (Retd) Raheel Sharif joins he will define a structure,” he said.
In January this year the Defence Minister had informed the senate that the former army chief had not asked for an NOC to lead a Saudi led military alliance.
News of the alliance’s formation was first reported in December 2015, with reports of Middle Eastern, African and Asian states including Saudi Arabia, Gulf states, Pakistan, Egypt being part of the then 34 nation coalition.