ISLAMABAD: Pakistan eagerly awaits the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is set to arrive in Islamabad today on a two-day official visit to Pakistan upon the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The crown prince will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including members of the Saudi royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen.
This will be the first official visit of the dignitary to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of crown prince in April 2017. During his visit, he will meet President Dr. Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A delegation of Pakistan’s Senate will also call on the crown prince and discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
During his stay, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture and sports. The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.
The Saudi ministers accompanying the crown prince will meet their counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation in their respective fields.
Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been made in the federal capital to accord a rousing and unprecedentedly warm welcome to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his entourage upon their arrival into Pakistan.
Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad on Friday that the government has finalized arrangements to welcome the crown prince and that Prime Minister Imran Khan would personally receive him at Nur Khan Airbase.
“A fleet of Pakistan Air Force jets would escort his airplanes as they enter the country’s airspace. The crown prince would be given a 21 gun salute at the airport,” Pakistan’s state run news agency APP quoted Chaudhry.
Big portraits of the crown prince, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi have been erected on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad. Banners and posters inscribed with slogans of Pak-Saudi friendship and fraternity have also been put on display along the roads.
Pakistan’s top government and opposition party officials have also released warm welcome messages for the Saudi crown prince.
Opposition leader in the National Assembly and President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, who has longstanding ties with the Saudi royal family, welcomed the crown prince’s visit on twitter.
In a tweet released by his official party page, Sharif said that the economic relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was in the interests of both the countries and of the Muslim Ummah.
In a statement, former President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People’s Party [PPP] said the party and the Bhutto family welcomed the prince’s visit and expressed hope for further improvement in bilateral relations, calling Saudi Arabia, “a very creditable and respectable friend of our country and its people.”
“Saudi Arabia has always stood by Pakistan in moments of need and will hopefully continue to do so,” he said.
Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Islamabad today
Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Islamabad today
- He will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including members of the Saudi royal family
- Elaborate arrangements have been made in the federal capital to accord an unprecedentedly warm welcome
US freezes immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Pakistan
- Immigrant visas to be suspended from Jan 21, tourist visas unaffected
- Move targets “public charge” concerns as Trump revives hard-line immigration rules
ISLAMABA: The United States will pause immigrant visa issuances for nationals of 75 countries, including Pakistan, from January 21, the State Department said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump presses ahead with a hard-line immigration agenda centered on financial self-sufficiency.
In an update published on its website, the State Department said it was conducting a comprehensive review of immigration policies to ensure that migrants from what it described as “high-risk” countries do not rely on public welfare in the United States or become a “public charge.”
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department said.
The pause applies specifically to immigrant visas, which are issued to people seeking permanent residence in the United States. The department said applicants from affected countries may still submit applications and attend interviews, but no immigrant visas will be issued during the suspension.
According to the State Department, the affected countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Brazil, Thailand and dozens of others across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
The department said tourist and other non-immigrant visas are not affected, and that no previously issued immigrant visas have been revoked. Dual nationals applying with a valid passport from a country not on the list are exempt from the pause.
The State Department did not indicate how long the visa pause would remain in effect, saying it would continue until its review of screening and vetting procedures is completed.
The announcement underscores the breadth of the Trump administration’s renewed immigration crackdown. Since returning to office last year, Trump has revived and expanded enforcement of the “public charge” provision of US immigration law, which allows authorities to deny entry to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits.
During his previous term, Trump imposed sweeping travel restrictions on several Muslim-majority countries, a policy widely referred to as a “Muslim ban,” which was challenged in courts before a revised version was upheld by the Supreme Court and later rescinded under former president Joe Biden.
The visa freeze also comes amid an intensifying domestic enforcement push. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has expanded operations nationwide, drawing scrutiny over its tactics. Last week, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a US citizen, during a federal operation in Minneapolis, sparking protests and renewed debate over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
