Troops in Saudi Arabia on training, advisory mission: Defence Minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Monday informed Senate that Pakistani troops sent to Saudi Arabia are only in the Kingdom for imparting training to Saudi security personnel, ARY News reported.

Giving a policy statement in the House, Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir said that currently around sixteen hundred Pakistani troops are on deputation in Saudi Arabia and the prime minister has approved deputing additional Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia for training and advisory purposes.

He said that the assistance being rendered o Saudi Arabia is a continuation of the on-going support and within the confines of joint parliamentary resolution of April 2015.

Khurram Dastgir added that the planned training and advisory contingent has yet not been dispatched to Saudi Arabia. He said that the contingent will have strength of over one thousand troops of all ranks and will be dispatched shortly.

He said contingent deputed in Saudi Arabia will perform its training and advisory mission while remaining within the geographical boundaries of the Kingdom.

He said training of Saudi forces is governed by 1982 bilateral protocol regarding the deputation of Pakistan’s Armed Forces’ personnel.