Islamabad, Riyadh vow to join hands to eliminate terror

Gen Raheel, Saudi king say two countries have a responsibility towards Ummah

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to join hands to eliminate the menace of terrorism and to reinvigorate the mechanism to roll back extremism.  The agreement was reached during a meeting between army chief General Raheel Sharif and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The army chief, who is on a two-day official visit to the oil-rich kingdom, also held talks with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Naif Abdulaziz and Defence Minister Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

In a series of tweets, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said Gen Raheel and the Saudi leadership acknowledged that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are vital players in regional stability with significant responsibility towards the Muslim Ummah.

“Matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence and security cooperation were discussed,” said the military’s chief spokesperson. “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share a great history of cordial relations [and] a deep spirit of brotherhood which is transforming into an enduring partnership,” he added.

The army chief reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the safety and protection of ‘Harmain Ul Sharifain’ or the holy mosques and the territorial integrity of the kingdom.

The Saudi monarch and crown prince also assured the army chief that they considered any threat to Pakistan’s integrity unacceptable. The Saudi leadership also extended full support to peace and stability in Pakistan, said the DG ISPR.

The king, the crown prince and the defence minister said they hold Pakistan and Pakistan Army in high esteem and appreciated the army’s achievements in Operation Zarb-e-Azb – the ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan Agency.

The army chief appreciated growing counterterrorism cooperation and intelligence-sharing between the two countries to limit the space for terrorists and extremists in all domains, including choking flow of funding.

General Raheel’s visit is seen as significant as it came against the backdrop of an unprecedented hiccup in ties between the two countries after Pakistan refused to join the Saudi-led alliance against Houthi rebels in Yemen in April this year. But after the army chief’s high-level interactions in Riyadh, it appears that relations between the two countries are on the mend. Security sources said Saudi Arabia is increasingly concerned about the rise of ultraorthodox Islamic State (IS) militant group in the Middle East, particularly because of its involvement in the recent the attacks in the kingdom.

Given its experience in fighting militancy, Pakistan can help Saudi Arabia counter the growing threat of IS. Recently, special forces of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia held joint counterterrorism exercises at the National Counterterrorism Centre near Kharian.


Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2015.