In a shift from his earlier statement, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif did not seek government’s permission before joining the Saudi-led military alliance.
“Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif did not submit any application for a no objection certificate (NOC). There’s nothing in our notice,” the defence minister said.
Earlier, Asif said the former army chief had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.He further said the government was taken into confidence about the former army chief’s new role. He, however, would not provide further details.