Pakistan cannot recall former Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif from Riyadh as he has taken the command of the 41-nation Saudi-led military alliance against the Islamic State in his “personal capacity”, the country’s top diplomat said on Wednesday.
Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, in a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs here said that Gen Sharif was not sent by the Government to lead the alliance and therefore, cannot be asked to return.
However, news reports have previously said the 61-year-old former chief of Army staff was granted approval by the Government to serve as head of the alliance for three years.