The Islamic Military Alliance or the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) announced by the government of Saudi Arabia in December 2015 is a military coalition of about 41 nations led by the Kingdom itself.
The purpose as evident from the name is to join forces and combat the common menace of terrorism. This initiative has been under some serious speculation in the world in general, and Pakistan in particular. From the very beginning, the coalition’s mandate has been shrouded in mystery. Pakistan’s inclusion in the coalition in 2015 was primarily announced by Saudi Arabia that took the general public by surprise as it had not been announced officially by the Pakistani government till that point in time.[1] However, later on, the appointment of the former Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif as the Commander of the coalition confirmed Pakistan’s inclusion in this alliance.[2]
