Military alliance not against any specific country, says Saudi envoy

Marwan bin Rizwan says Saudi-led alliance is against terrorism and Qatar boycott can be ended if it accepts demands

Acting Saudi ambassador in Islamabad Marwan bin Rizwan said Saudi-led 41-nation Islamic military alliance is against terrorism, and not against any specific country, Radio Pakistan reported.

“If Qatar abides by the 2014 agreement, the Saudi-Qatar relationship can improve,” he said while talking to reporters in Islamabad on Thursday.

The boycott of Qatar, he said, can be ended if it accepts the Saudi demands.



On Wednesday, the Pakistan government had categorically said it would not take any sides in the recent political stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“Pakistan does not want to interfere in other countries’ matters and will stick to its non-partisan policy on the Middle East issue,” Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.



Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and the United Arab Emirates announced on June 5 they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar after accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Moreover, in principle, Islamabad had agreed to be part of the Islamic Military Alliance against Terrorism (IMAT).