Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry told reporters Tuesday that he had been surprised to hear news regarding his country’s inclusion in the new alliance.
He added that Pakistan’s envoy to Riyadh had been instructed to contact the Saudi government to look into the matter.
On Monday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that 34 Muslim countries had agreed to form an “anti-terrorism” alliance to be headquartered in Saudi capital Riyadh.
According to the SPA, the coalition was formed within the framework of a previous anti-terrorism agreement signed by Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states.
Along with Saudi Arabia, the coalition reportedly includes Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Turkey, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sudan, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen, in addition to 13 African states.
Indonesia, a country with the world’s largest Muslim population, said that it was approached by Saudi Arabia concerning anti-terrorism cooperation, however it needs details before considering to join a ‘military alliance.’
Armanatha Nasir, Foreign Ministry spokesman said it is “important for Indonesia to first have details before deciding to support” any military actions, he said.
However, Indonesian Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said later, as quoted by Reuters: “We don’t want to join a military alliance.”
Malaysia, another Muslim country which was put by Riyadh in the list of the 34 participants, also denied taking part in the military alliance. Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told journalists that Kuala Lumpur will not join Riyadh, however it will continue to be part of the international fight against terrorism, the Rakyat Post reported.
