Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major-General Asif Ghafoor said on Wednesday that the appointment of former army chief General Raheel Sharif as head of the 39-nation coalition of Muslim countries is a decision of the state, according to a private TV channel. "Raheel Sharif's appointment to the Saudi-led military alliance is a decision of the state of Pakistan," said Ghafoor.

The military spokesman was giving a press briefing in London during Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa's visit to the United Kingdom. He also said that the country wishes for better relationship with Iran and Saudi Arabia. The senior army officials said that "Pakistan does not believe in proxy wars". Ghafoor, while talking to media personnel, said Pakistan wishes for better relations with India and Afghanistan. "Pakistan does not want to create tensions and the region and does not believe in proxy wars," said DG ISPR. The headquarters of the military alliance would be based in Riyadh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017