Qureshi questions govt’s willingness to join Saudi anti-terror coalition

ISLAMABAD, January 7: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday asked that why the government joined the Saudi led 34-state alliance against terrorism without knowing any details.
Talking to media outside the Parliament, Qureshi said that Pakistan should not become party in this matter.
To a question, the former foreign minister said the government should take the Parliament into confidence on its decision.
He said Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz read out a piece of paper recently in the House. The same statement was given by the Foreign Office previously.
Qureshi demanded the government to immediately summon a session of Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss the issue. The PTI leader’s remarks came at time when Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir is expected to arrive in Islamabad for talks on anti-terror cooperation.
The Saudi foreign minister is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif during his day-long visit.
The kingdom announced the alliance last month and Saudi officials had stated that Pakistan is part of the grouping. However, officials in Islamabad insist the country will take a final decision to become part of the alliance after getting more details.
The visit also comes at a critical time amid the ongoing Saudi-Iran tensions that led to the breaking off of diplomatic ties between the two Muslim nations.
Pakistan has expressed serious concerns over the Iran-Saudi tensions and has urged both countries to resolve peacefully their differences.