ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Naval Warships participated in the Joint Gulf Shied 1drills concluded in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, *Radio Pakistanlink>*reportedon Sunday.

According to *Arab News link>*,Pakistan troops were joined by forces from 24 other countries includingBahrain, UAE, US, Jordan, Kuwait and Egypt.

The military exercise was organised to raise the capability ofparticipating troops when confront threats.

Pakistan remained the leading contributor to the Joint Gulf Shield 1, areflection of robust bilateral relations between Islamabad and Riyadh.

The two countries have been involved in a number of joint trainingexercises in recent months, a joint naval exercise in Karachi codenamedAffa Al Sahil was organised in February.

The exercise has been performed annually since 2011 and aims to enhanceinteroperability and sharpen tactical proficiency in countering maritimehuman trafficking, piracy and terrorism.

Earlier this year, a contingent of troops of the Pakistan Army wasdispatched to Saudi Arabia as part of continuation of the ongoing bilateralsecurity cooperation between the two countries.

After the announcement of troop deployment, rumours swirled in the mediathat the troops could be sent to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition isactively involved in a war against Houthi rebels.