ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his day-long visit to Riyadh on Saturday to discuss bilateral matters, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Earlier, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, Khan arrived in Madinah and prayed at the Prophet’s mosque, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Khan sent his salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), before traveling onwards to Riyadh to meet with the Kingdom’s top leadership.
In February this year, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman visited Pakistan for the first time in a much-celebrated tour, with Prime Minister Khan personally receiving and driving him from the airport after his arrival.
Khan is undertaking a daylong visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss regional and bilateral issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
In an earlier handout issued on Friday, the ministry said the visit was “part of the regular exchanges between the leadership of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
“The consultations will cover bilateral matters and recent developments in the regional context,” the statement added.
In October, Khan visited Tehran before heading to Riyadh to focus on “peace and security in the region.” He also reiterated his offer to mediate during his visit to the 74th United Nations General Assembly summit this September, to ease the regional situation in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa is visiting Abu Dhabi, the military’s spokesperson Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said in a Twitter post on Saturday.
The army chief met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, who is the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the tweet said and added that regional security and matters of mutual interest were discussed.
Khan’s trip follows Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit earlier this week to Riyadh where Qureshi held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Farhan bin Abdullah, to review bilateral relations between the two countries and discuss the latest regional and international developments.
On Friday, during the weekly press briefing, foreign office spokesman, Dr. Mohammad Faisal, said in response to questions about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia:
“You have witnessed the high frequency of leadership level exchanges especially since last August. The Prime Minister has undertaken at least three visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since May this year.”
“High-level political exchanges between the two countries are the hallmark of this brotherly relationship. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have brotherly relationship rooted in history and based on mutual trust and understanding,” the foreign office spokesman said.
PM Khan meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh
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PM Khan meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh
- This is Khan’s fourth visit to the Kingdom since May this year
- Presently, Pakistan’s army chief is on an official visit to Abu Dhabi — ISPR
Pakistan, UK discuss regional security, cross-border attacks as senior official visits Islamabad
- British envoy for Afghanistan Richard Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s border regions
- Pakistani diplomat says both sides reviewed broader security challenges, emphasized coordination to address ‘shared concerns’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and British officials have discussed regional security challenges and cross-border attacks during talks in Islamabad, a Pakistani diplomat said on Tuesday, during a visit of the United Kingdom’s Afghanistan envoy, Richard Lindsay, to the Pakistani capital.
Pakistan and the UK regularly cooperate on counterterrorism and security, with a focus on intelligence-sharing to combat militant activity. Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a rise in militancy in Pakistan’s western provinces, which border Afghanistan.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, said the discussions in Islamabad focused on the regional security situation, particularly the urgent challenge posed by cross-border attacks.
“We also exchanged views on the latest regional security developments and broader security challenges,” he said on X. “We emphasized the importance of continued cooperation and coordination to address shared concerns and promote regional stability.”
Islamabad frequently accuses Afghanistan of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny this.
In recent years, Pakistan and the UK have engaged with each other on counterterrorism and cross-border crimes as part of bilateral cooperation.
Both sides held the second round of the Pakistan-UK Counter Terrorism Dialogue in London in February last year, reviewing global and regional threats and exchanging best practices. Over the years, armed forces of both countries have also maintained close cooperation, particularly in counterterrorism efforts and professional military training.
