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Saudi Arabia has proposed a “Nato-like” military alliance of Islamic countries to combat terrorism, it has been reported.
The proposed alliance would not be against any particular country but would combat terrorism and threats like Isis, Pakistani news channel Dunya News reported .
Pakistan has been entrusted to develop the framework for the proposed military alliance of 34 Muslim-majority nations.
It comes as Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawz Shareef and its army chief General Raheel Shareef (no relation) were in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit to witness the end of a major joint military exercise.
Troops from 21 different countries took part in the manoeurves in northern Saudi Arabia to better prepare for a terror attack.
It is unclear whether the alliance of Muslim nations will include Iran - the Shia-dominated enemy of Saudi Arabia which has recently seen the West's economic sanctions against it being lifted.
It comes as Israel is reportedly quietly making overtures to Sunni Arab states to push for closer ties.
Tel Aviv is hoping to counter the influence of Tehran - which has repeatedly threatened to attack Israel with the nuclear weapons it was developing, according to the Wall Street Journal .
Many have criticised Saudi Arabia for alleged human rights abuses in its proxy war with Iran for dominance in the Middle East.
Show all 10 1 /1010 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer.
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10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident.
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The Saudi-led military coalition waging war on Houthi rebels in Yemen killed 41 civilians in an air strike on a market in Mastaba on Tuesday .
The World Health Organisation said more than 6,200 people have been killed in the conflict since March 2015 and the UN warned of a "human catastrophe unfolding" in the country.
The Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was first agreed in 1949 as a way to combat the threat of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Cold War.
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