Foreign Office announces Pakistan's inclusion in Saudi military alliance

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will join the Saudi military alliance, the Foreign Office officially announced on Thursday.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told the media during its weekly press briefing that the decision has been taken after considering the terms and conditions of the alliance.  

About the former army chief, General (retd) Raheel Sharif, the spokesperson said he has become an ordinary citizen after his retirement. "Comment over his decision does not come under the ambit of the Foreign Office," adding that the Foreign Office was unaware that the Saudi government had gotten in touch with the former army chief.

Earlier this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the Pakistani government has decided to give a no-objection certificate to the former army chief to lead the 39-nation alliance of Muslim states that would be led by Saudi Arabia. Asif made the revelation in a Geo News programme Jirga.

Yadav's arrest proof of Indian interference in Pakistan: FO

India is involved in financing terrorist activities in Pakistan, FO spokesperson Nafees Zakaria.

“The entire world knows that India is interfering in Pakistan’s internal matters,” he said, adding that the arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Pakistani soil is proof of this.

Pakistan arrested RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan, in March 2016, who confessed to fuelling the Baloch separatist movement and attempts sabotage the CPEC project.

Earlier this month,  Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told a Senate session that the First Investigation Report (FIR) on Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav had been registered and a case was being prepared.

The Foreign Office came out in support of Muslims in occupied Kashmir who are victim to atrocities by the Indian government. “Indian troops are opening fire at funerals of Kashmiri martyrs,” the spokesperson said.

Zakaria said that 150 Kashmiris had embraced martyrdom and 11000 had had their eyesight affected due to firing by pellet guns.

He asked the international community to urge India to stop the genocide of innocent Kashmiris.

Reacting to a recent Indian politician’s demand of converting Jinnah’s residence in Mumbai to a culture centre, he said that India should respect the sentiments of Pakistan, hoping that they protect the important historical residence.