Pak to take issue of joining Saudi military alliance to parl

TIL Desk/World/Islamabad/ Pakistan government has decided to take the issue of joining the Saudi-led 41 nation military alliance to parliament, amid concerns among the policymakers that the alliance would create further sectarian divisions in the country.

In principle, Pakistan agreed to be part of the Islamic Military Alliance against Terrorism (IMAT) as it granted permission to its former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif to head the grouping. However, the extent of Pakistan’s participation in the alliance has yet to be decided.

Saudi leadership used a recent Arab-US summit in Riyadh to target Iran, which has forced Pakistan authorities to tread a careful path. There has been a realisation within the policymakers that the alliance would create further sectarian divisions, said officials familiar with the development.

Last week, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz conceded before the Senate that Riyadh conference had widened the sectarian divide in the Muslim world. Pakistan was stuck between the “devil and the deep blue sea” meaning that neither it could say completely “No” to Saudi Arabia nor could afford antagonising neighbouring Iran, an official said.