ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday where he is scheduled to meet with the Saudi leadership during his day-long visit to discuss regional peace and security situation, the foreign office said in a statement.
“Following his visit to Iran on 13 October 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be visiting Saudi Arabia today, as part of his initiative for peace and security in the region,” the statement read.
This would be Khan’s third visit to Saudi Arabia this year. His earlier visits were in May and September respectively.
“The Prime Minister will confer with the Saudi leadership in light of his recent consultations with other leaders. Bilateral ties and other regional developments would also form part of the discussions,” the statement added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are bound in a fraternal relationship marked by mutual trust and understanding, close cooperation, and an abiding tradition of supporting each other, the foreign office said.
A day earlier, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by the premier that “this visit is surely meant to promote peace in the region.”
Prime Minister Khan visited Iran on Sunday to discuss regional peace and security with the Iranian leadership. “Pakistan will act as a facilitator, not as a mediator, to help reduce tensions – now and in the future,” Khan said while addressing a joint news conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Awan said the Iranian leadership had welcomed “our peace gesture.”
Iran has been under intense pressure and scrutiny from major world powers, including the United States, over its highly controversial nuclear program. President Donald Trump last month slapped wide-ranging sanctions on Iran as part of its campaign to increase economic pressure on the country over its nuclear program and regional ambitions.
The United States also blamed Iran for an attack last month on the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia which threatened the world’s energy security. “Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in September.
The prime minister is expected to be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, an adviser to PM on economy Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Special Assistant to the PM on overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, and other senior officials.
Pakistan’s foreign office on Friday rejected media reports that Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to play a mediatory role to defuse tensions with Iran.
“These reports are without any basis as no such letter or message was conveyed, nor has Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan to play any mediatory role with Iran,” the foreign office said.
