Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria clarified Sartaj Aziz had said that that the government issued no-objection certificate (NOC) to General (Retd) Raheel Sharif in accordance with the rules.

During a press conference, FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria replied to a media query and said the statement at the in-camera session, attributed to Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate was a misquotation.

However, the policy regarding Pakistan’s participation in different activities of the alliance will be decided by the government after the TORs (terms of reference) have been finalized and in consultation with the parliament, Sartaj had informed.