Commander-In-Chief of Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), General Raheel Sharif (retd) called on Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed matters of mutual interest including regional peace and stability. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting which took place at the GHQ, matters of mutual interest including regional peace and stability were discussed.
"The CoAS appreciated the efforts of Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition towards regional peace and security," the ISPR further said in a brief statement. The IMCTC delegation led by Gen Raheel Sharif (retd) arrived on Sunday night for a two-day visit to the country to explore the avenues of collaboration and counterterrorism initiatives during their discussions with civilian and military leadership.
The delegation led by Gen Raheel Sharif (retd), according to the sources, will also call on Prime Minister Imran Khan today (Tuesday) to discuss issues of mutual interest and counterterrorism initiatives. The visit of the delegation comes days before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is due to arrive on a crucial visit to the country likely on February 16 and the two sides are expected to sign a number of investment deals, including the construction of a multibillion dollars oil refinery in the port city of Gwadar during the visit.
According to the sources, the primary focus of the discussions of the IMCTC delegation with top civil and military leadership is on the regional situation as well as counterterrorism measures taken by the coalition. However, they would also exchange views on the upcoming visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to the country. Talking to Business Recorder, senior analyst Lt General Talat Masood (retd) said though the purpose of visit of the delegation will be to discuss the primary role of Pakistan it had offered in the field of intelligence-sharing and imparting training to the troops of the coalition, yet they may also exchange views on the upcoming visit of the Saudi Crown Prince.
He further stated that the delegation may also exchange views with Pakistani leadership on the situation in the Middle East and the strategic interest of Saudi Arabia in the region. The IMCTC, also known as the 41-member Islamic military alliance, is an intergovernmental counterterrorist alliance of the Muslim countries, announced by the Saudi Crown Prince who is also the Kingdom's defence minister, on December 15, 2015. However, the countries such as Iran, Iraq and Syria were not included in the alliance.
On January 6, 2017, General Raheel Sharif (retd) was named as the first commander-in-chief of the IMCTC during the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's tenure. On December 15, 2018, the Supreme Court, in a suo motu case regarding dual nationality of civil servants and judges, had ruled that the foreign employment of army chief General Raheel Sharif (retd) shall cease with immediate effect if he is not granted a no-objection certificate by the federal cabinet within one month. Consequently, the cabinet granted the NoC to Gen Sharif on January 18, 2019 to continue his employment as commander-in-chief of the IMCTC.
During the hearing of the case, the then Defence Secretary Lt Gen Zamirul Hassan (retd) informed the court that it was the Defence Ministry which had granted NOC to the ex-chief of army staff after General Headquarters (GHQ) cleared him to accept the post of commander-in-chief of the coalition.
The then Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan had informed the apex court that as per the government service rules, it is required for the NOC to be approved by the federal cabinet.
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