Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif today joined heads of states and governments at the closing ceremony of Northern Thunder military exercises in northeastern Saudi Arabia, according to a statement of Pakistani military's media wing (ISPR) .

They visited Saudi Arabia for three days at the invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz to attend the military war games and hold talks on regional and bilateral issues.

The Northern Thunder exercises, billed as the Middle East's largest ever, began on 14th February and involved more than 150,000 troops from 20 Muslim countries, including Gulf Arab countries, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Turkey, Sudan, Senegal, Malaysia, Morocco and Tunisia.

The aim of exercises was to improve the troops' training and battlefield efficiency to respond to threats and challenges, including terrorist groups, and preserve peace and stability in the region.

Source:WAM