Feb 19, 2017

For the last two months, mystery and confusion has shrouded Gen. Raheel Sharif, Pakistan's retired army chief, over whether he will be the supreme commander of the Saudi-led "Islamic military alliance" created by Riyadh in 2015. News of Sharif's appointment has been widely criticized in Pakistan, and the drama underscores the friction in the Saudi-Pakistani relationship.

Sharif retired as chief of army staff last fall. The highlight of his tenure in office was a major crackdown on the Pakistani Taliban that has plagued the country with horrific terror attacks. Pakistan continued to support other terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, but it is at war with the Pakistani Taliban and now with the Islamic State (IS) that has created an infrastructure in the country.

The Saudi-led Islamic military alliance now has 40 members. Some Saudi commentators have argued that Pakistan should provide a commander for the group because it is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons. In fact, Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world. A leader who has commanded a nuclear strike force would have credentials unlike any other Muslim general.

Saudi Arabia has depended on Pakistani military support for decades. In the 1980s, thousands of Pakistani troops were deployed in the kingdom, but Pakistan refused Saudi requests to send troops to join the Saudi war in Yemen against the Houthi rebels. In 2015, the Pakistani parliament voted unanimously against joining the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen; only the extremists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba supported deploying troops to Yemen.

Appointing Sharif commander of the military alliance would enhance the credibility of the so-called Arab NATO. The alliance has carried out military exercises in the kingdom, but it has not developed a strong joint command or headquarters staffed by representatives of its 40 members.