Pak PM Abbasi, Army Chief arrive at first Islamic counter-terrorism summit

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa Monday left for Riyadh to attend a counter-terror conference hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar are also accompanying the prime minister and the Chief of Army Staff on a day-long tour, Radio Pakistan reported.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened the maiden meeting of defense ministers of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in Riyadh Sunday.

Read: First Islamic counter-terrorism summit kicks off in Saudi Arabia

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) is a coalition of 41 Muslims countries and currently led by former Pakistan Army Chief General (retd) Raheel Shareef.

The Saudi Crown Prince had announced about the formation of IMCTC in 2015 but it took more than two years to take it a shape.

Since IMCTC only includes Sunni Muslim countries and so far excluded Iran, Iraq and Syria, it was feared that it could be considered as anti-Shiite grouping.

Shareef, in his address to IMCTC defence ministers Sunday, had said that it was a counter-terrorism alliance and not against any country or any sect.

The delegation, led by the prime minister, is expected to hold meetings with the Crown Prince and other officials.

During the meetings, bilateral relations, regional and international situation would be reviewed, it said.