New parliament speaker calls for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s ‘selfless friend’

ISLAMABAD: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, newly elected speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, on Friday urged for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, describing the kingdom as a “selfless friend” that had stood by Pakistan in times of need. 
The National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistani parliament, last week elected former prime minister Ashraf as its new speaker. 
The House has been without a speaker since Asad Qaiser resigned from the post, minutes before a no-confidence vote against former prime minister Imran Khan on April 10, which he had lost. 
Ashraf’s statement came after his meeting with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki at Parliament House Islamabad on Friday. 
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy brotherly relations and the same transcends to the legislatures of the both the countries and have supported each other on international and regional forums,” Speaker Ashraf said. 
“Pakistan attaches immense importance to its time-tested and all-weather friendship with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” 
Paying gratitude to the Saudi leadership, the speaker called for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in diverse sectors. 
Ambassador Al-Malki agreed with the speaker, saying that undoubtedly the hearts of people of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan beat together. 
He said that his “government and people hold Pakistani[s] close to their heart[s],” according to the statement issued by Speaker Ashraf’s office. 
“Saudi Arabia had and would always stand by Pakistan whenever needed,” the ambassador was quoted as saying. He also agreed on enhancing parliamentary interaction between legislative bodies of both countries. 
Pakistan has deep-rooted ties with Saudi Arabia and nearly 2.5 million Pakistani expats live in the kingdom. 
Last week Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Shehbaz Sharif over the phone and congratulated him on becoming the new prime minister of Pakistan and extended an invitation to Sharif to visit the kingdom at an early date. 
Sharif, 70, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, was elected as prime minister on April 11, following a week-long constitutional crisis after parliament ousted Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote. 
Sharif is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next week.