Pakistan’s former army chief Raheel Sharif may be appointed defence advisor of Saudi Arabia-led military alliance

Pakistan’s former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif is expected to be appointed defence advisor of a Saudi Arabia-led military alliance of 39 countries, according to a media report.

Sharif, who arrived in Saudi Arabia as a royal guest in a special plane, will attend a grand reception being hosted in his honour in Riyadh, the capital of the kingdom, The New International reported.

The reception will also be attended by the members of the Royal family. Sharif, who retired as the army chief last month, is expected to be appointed defence advisor of Saudi Arabia-led military alliance, the paper said.

The Joint Command Centre, headquarters of the military alliance, is located in Riyadh.

The Saudi-led coalition, involving several Arab nations, launched a military operation in Yemen in March 2015 after Houthis drove out the government led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is believed to be in exile in Saudi Arabia.

According to Saudi Arabia, the alliance is formed to fight ISIS and other militant outfits.

At the time of its constitution, there were 34 countries in the alliance which has raised to 39. The countries include Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Sudan, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and others.