Pak won't send troops to join Saudi-led military alliance

Pakistan has decided to not send ground troops to Saudi Arabia as part of the 34-state Islamic military alliance led by Riyadh.

According to the Dawn, adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, on Tuesday said Pakistan will not send ground troops to Saudi Arabia or any other country.

Speaking to the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee at the Parliament House, Aziz said that matters between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have not been settled yet.

However, he said that Pakistan will share intelligence with Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism.

Aziz asserted that Pakistan was playing its role to diffuse tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

"An emergency meeting of OIC foreign ministers has been summoned in Jeddah where Pakistan would present important proposals to reduce Iran-Saudi tensions," he said.

The announcement comes a day after Saudi Defence Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visited Pakistan and held meetings with army chief General Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Earlier, Pakistan had twice rejected calls by the United States for joining alliances against the militant Islamic State (IS) group on the same pretext.