Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that he will explain the Senate, in detail, about the appointment of former army chief Raheel Sharif as head of the 41-nation Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) after a meeting of the member nations.
"I will keep my word and give the Senate the details about the appointment, but after the grand meeting of all the countries that are participating in IMAFT, which is expected in May."
"I was supposed to brief the Senate about the matter today, but the session was postponed,” Asif clarified while speaking on Dunya TV’s Kamran Khan Kay Sath.
"The NOC was given after the General Headquarters gave the go ahead and Gen Raheel has left the country,” he told.
The defence minister reassured multiple times that Pakistan will not violate any previous agreements and will not be a party to any clashes between two Muslim countries.
Gen Sharif was praised for leading Operation Zarb-i-Azb in Pakistan but his decision to serve the Saudi-led alliance has been severely condemned by the nation.
The alliance was created to help member states deal with the risk of terrorism, but people fear that it may get caught up in the Middle East’s political rivalries.
Saudi defence forces spokesman Gen Assiri said in the Wall Street Journal that the alliance wasn’t restricted to confronting terrorist organisations like the militant Islamic State group and Al Qaeda.
He said the coalition could, at the request of a member, move against rebel groups and militias posing a threat to member countries.
It is important to keep in mind that Iran has openly spoken about its reservations about a Pakistani leading the alliance.