ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, performed Umrah on Sunday.
According to Pakistan’s state-owned radio and television channels, the door of Kaaba – a cubical shrine that stands in the middle of Makkah’s Grand Mosque – was opened for him by the Saudi authorities in a display of extraordinary hospitality.
The army chief went inside the building that is deeply revered by Muslims across the world and prayed for peace and prosperity for his country.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan also performed pilgrimage along with some of his senior cabinet members.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed cordial relations with each other, but the current administration in Islamabad has strengthened these ties further.
The Kingdom was the first foreign destination of Pakistan’s premier after assuming the top political office of his country.
Saudi Arabia also embraced him with open arms and offered a significant economic package to his administration that was facing a huge balance of payments crisis.
Pakistan’s army chief performs Umrah
Pakistan’s army chief performs Umrah
- Saudi authorities open the door of Kaaba in display of hospitality
- General Bajwa prays for the well being of his country
Pakistan backs peace efforts in Yemen, warns factions on ground against unilateral actions
- Foreign office reaffirms Pakistan’s firm commitment to Yemen’s unity and territorial integrity
- Pakistani administration also expresses solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid regional tensions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday said it welcomed regional efforts to ease tensions in Yemen and strongly opposed unilateral actions by any faction on the ground that could undermine peace or regional stability.
The development takes place after the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said it carried out a “limited” airstrike on Dec. 30, targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and military equipment sent from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) port of Fujairah to Mukalla in southern Yemen.
Addressing a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi reiterated support and firm commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen.
“In this regard, Pakistan strongly opposes unilateral steps by any Yemeni party that may further escalate the situation, undermine peace efforts and threaten peace and stability of Yemen, as well as that of the region,” he said.
“Pakistan welcome regional efforts for de-escalation of the situation in maintaining peace and stability in Yemen.”
Andrabi highlighted that Pakistan supported a peaceful resolution in Yemen through dialogue and diplomacy, hoping that Yemenis and regional powers work together toward an “inclusive and lasting settlement.”
On Wednesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed “complete solidarity” with Saudi Arabia during a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following Riyadh’s weapon shipment bombing in Yemen.
The Saudi airstrike on a UAE shipment in Yemen’s southern port city of Mukalla followed rising tensions linked to advances by the Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
Saudi Arabia, a major oil supplier to Pakistan, has provided billions in loans to help manage its economic crisis. The two countries have also signed a mutual defense pact last September, treating an attack on one as an attack on both.
