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
https://arab.news/r6drg
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 engages Saudi Arabia, China in bid to ease surging Middle East tensions
- Pakistan’s foreign minister stresses need for de-escalation in conversations with Chinese, Saudi counterparts
- Tensions in the Middle East continue to remain high as conflict between US, Israel and Iran intensifies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and China on Tuesday, stressing the importance of diplomatic engagement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as the Iran war intensifies.
Pakistan has constantly engaged regional countries in efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East, after the US and Isreal launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran launched fresh attacks on Gulf countries on Tuesday morning, where it has targeted US military bases in recent weeks. In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring worldwide.
Dar spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss developments in the Middle East and ongoing deliberations at the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“DPM/FM shared Pakistan’s perspective, underscoring the importance of continued coordination and diplomatic engagement to support de-escalation and promote peace and stability across the region and beyond,” the statement said.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, spoke to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi over the telephone separately. The two discussed the evolving regional situation and broader global developments.
Dar underscored the need to ease tensions in the Middle East and the wider region during the conversation, the foreign office said.
Yi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and stability in the region, it added.
“The two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation and emphasized the need to pursue dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign office’s statement said.
The conflict in the Middle East has hit Pakistan hard as well, forcing Islamabad to hike petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per liter last Friday.
Pakistan’s government has also announced a set of austerity measures, which include closing schools and cutting down on government expenditures, as it evaluates petrol stocks and looks for alternative supply routes.
