Pakistan’s former Army chief General (Retd.) Raheel Sharif could be appointed to a key role in a 39-nation military alliance led by Saudi Arabia, media reports have said.
According to a report in The News International, Saudi Arabia is considering appointing Sharif as defense advisor for its 39-country military alliance, according to media reports.
The report says that Shairf arrived in Saudi Arabia as a royal guest in a special plane, will attend a grand reception to be held in his honor in the capital of the kingdom, Riyadh. The reception will also be attended by the Saudi royal family.
According to Saudi Arabia, the alliance was created to battle ISIS and other military extremists. The Joint Command Centre, headquarters of the military alliance, is located in Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition, involving several Arab nations, launched a military operation in Yemen in March 2015 after Houthis drove out the government led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is believed to be in exile in Saudi Arabia.
At the time of conception the coalition consisted of 34 countries, a number that has now expanded to 39.
The coalition includes countries such as Turkey, UAE, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Sudan, Malaysia, Egypt and Yemen among others.
(With PTI inputs)
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