Pakistan grudgingly welcomes Saudi-led anti-terrorism coalition

Pakistan on Wednesday grudgingly welcomed close ally Saudi Arabia’s initiative to forge a 34-nation coalition to fight terrorism amid reports that Islamabad was not consulted on its inclusion in the group.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said in a sort of explanatory statement that the country has consistently supported all regional and international efforts to combat militancy, extremism and terrorism and has extended its full support and cooperation to international community.

“It is in this context that Pakistan welcomes the formation of the 34-nation alliance to counter terrorism and is awaiting further details to decide the extent of its participation in different activities of the alliance,” the statement said.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy close, cordial, and brotherly relations. Both countries condemn terrorism and cooperate in the efforts to eliminate this menace,” it said.

The statement came in the wake of local media reports saying that Pakistan was not consulted by the Saudis before announcing it as part of the new coalition. The Dawn reported that Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry told media that he was surprised to read the news that Saudi Arabia had named Pakistan as part of the alliance. “He said he had asked the country’s ambassador in Riyadh to get a clarification from Saudi Arabia on the matter,” the paper reported. The Express Tribune reported that a senior official of the Foreign Office said they were still gathering details about the newly-formed alliance.

“We came to know about it (the alliance) through news reports,” he was quoted in the report, suggesting that Pakistan had been caught off guard by the Saudis.

Separately, a senior government functionary told the Express Tribune that he could not confirm whether Pakistan had joined the Saudi alliance.