Pak PM, army chief depart for Riyadh to attend military exercise

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif left for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to hold crucial talks and witness the military exercise. Both are on a three-day official visit to Riyadh.

The visit comes on the invitation of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud to witness the witness the military exercise ‘North Thunder’.

Special Assistant to the premier on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi is also accompanying Sharif and General Sharif to Riyadh, reports Radio Pakistan.

Troops from 21 countries, including Pakistan, are participating in the exercise, in the northern region of Saudi Arabia.

The main aim of the exercise is to improve training to respond to threats posed by terrorist groups.

A large number of other leaderships and governments have also been invited to witness the ongoing military exercise and its closing ceremony.

Earlier Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership decided to expand its engagements with Saudi Arabia and will offer military training to the Saudi troops.(ANI)