ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has rejected rumors of growing tensions in its ties with Saudi Arabia and said the Arab nation was a “key ally” with whom Pakistan had “no differences.”
The PM’s remarks in a television interview come on the heels of a visit by the Pakistani army chief to Riyadh this week.
Earlier this month, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi sparked controversy with statements over the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) being lukewarm on Pakistan’s territorial dispute with archrival India over Kashmir.
“Saudi Arabia is our key ally. Saudi Arabia has helped us in every difficult moment and even this time, they [helped us] in the most difficult possible time,” he said, referring to 2018 when Saudi Arabia offered Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports to help stave off a current account crisis.
“These rumors you hear that our ties have gone bad with the Saudis, they are absolutely false,” the prime minister said in an interview to a local news channel. “Our ties with the Saudis are great, we are constantly in touch with the Saudis.”
Commenting on the foreign minister’s comments that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was dragging its feet on the Kashmir issue, the PM said:
“They have their own foreign policy, they are their own countries, they have to make their own decisions. Pakistan has its own point of view.”
He added: “Saudis have their own foreign policy. We can’t think that because we want something, Saudis should also do it.”
Pakistan has long demanded that the OIC convene a high-level foreign minister’s meeting to highlight alleged rights violations in the part of Kashmir controlled by India. But the forum has only held low-level meetings so far.
Commenting on a recent normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the PM said Pakistan’s stance was “very clear.”
“We will never recognize Israel until Palestinians don’t get their rights,” he said, “they don’t get a just settlement.”
Saudi Arabia is a 'key ally,' no differences with Pakistan — PM Khan
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Saudi Arabia is a 'key ally,' no differences with Pakistan — PM Khan
- OIC countries entitled to their own foreign policy and Pakistan its own point of view, prime minister says in TV interview
- Reiterates Pakistan’s ‘very clear’ stance on Israel, will never recognize Israel until Palestinians get “just settlement”
Pakistan, China to sign multiple MoUs at major agriculture investment conference today
- Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms to attend Islamabad event
- Conference seen as part of expanding CPEC ties into agriculture, trade
KARACHI: Islamabad and Beijing are set to sign multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to boost agricultural investment and cooperation at a major conference taking place in the capital today, Monday, with hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani companies expected to participate.
The conference is being billed by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research as a platform for deepening bilateral agricultural ties and supporting broader economic engagement between the two countries.
“Multiple memorandums of understanding will be signed at the Pakistan–China Agricultural Conference,” the Ministry of National Food Security said in a statement. “115 Chinese and 165 Pakistani companies will participate.”
The conference reflects a growing emphasis on expanding Pakistan-China economic cooperation beyond the transport and energy foundations of the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into agriculture, industry and technology.
Under its first phase launched in 2015, CPEC, a core component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, focused primarily on transportation infrastructure, energy generation and connectivity projects linking western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan. That phase included motorways, power plants and the development of the Gwadar Port in the country's southwest, aimed at helping Pakistan address chronic power shortages and enhance transport connectivity.
In recent years, both governments have formally moved toward a “CPEC 2.0” phase aimed at diversifying the corridor’s impact into areas such as special economic zones, innovation, digital cooperation and agriculture. Second-phase discussions have highlighted Pakistan’s goal of modernizing its agricultural sector, attracting Chinese technology and investment, and boosting export potential, with high-level talks taking place between planning officials and investors in Beijing.
Agri-sector cooperation has also seen practical collaboration, with joint initiatives examining technology transfer, export protocols and value-chain development, including partnerships in livestock, mechanization and horticulture.
Organizers say the Islamabad conference will bring together government policymakers, private sector investors, industry associations and multinational agribusiness firms from both nations. Discussions will center on investment opportunities, technology adoption, export expansion and building linkages with global buyers within the framework of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.
