Islamic powers won’t let ‘Muslim Nato’ dent their sovereignty, says expert

The Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) is unlikely to make “any dent in violence in any major Islamic country,” an analyst told foreign media.

The IMAFT, dubbed the Muslim NATO, will be made up of 39 Sunni Muslim states reported under the supposed command of Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s retired army chief. The Pakistani government has, however, denied Raheel’s appointment report. Media has also cited the conditions imposed by Raheel to accept the command which are unlikely to be accepted.

The IMAFT was created in 2015 to fight Daesh (also known as Islamic State) terrorists, but is not supported by Iran. And it’s also unlikely that other “major Islamic” countries in the region will “support its activities,” Dr. Amalendu Misra, politics expert at University of Lancaster told a foreign news outlet. “I think it’s unlikely, that this particular force is going to make any dent in violence in any major Islamic country,” Dr. Misra told Sputnik.

“All the Islamic countries are fiercely protective of their sovereignty. Are they really going to allow them [IMAFT] to undermine their sovereignty and intervene in their country, how credible is that going to be?” Dr Misra asks.

Dr. Misra also doesn’t think it’s likely that IMAFT will be allowed in by Egypt or Afghanistan either.“When it comes to big powers in the region, like Afghanistan, they’re not going to allow more military intervention after having seen a quarter of a century of military intervention from other forces.”The recent announcement that Pakistan’s former army chief is to command IMAFT has led to criticism on social media.