PM, COAS visit Riyadh tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minster Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javaid Bajwa will dash to Saudi capital Riyadh tomorrow (Saturday) on a day-long trip. Highly placed sources told The News here Thursday that the two leaders will witness exercises of 34-country Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) headquartered in Saudi capital besides having an important meeting with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The entourage of the Prime Minster will be finalised today (Friday). The IMA is commanded by Pakistan’s former Army Chief, General (R) Raheel Sharif who has returned to Riyadh from Pakistan last week. He was in Lahore for the wedding ceremonies of his son Umar. The sources said that the visiting leaders from Pakistan will have their lunch with the Saudi King in Riyadh. Prime Minister Abbasi and General Bajwa are visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time after Pakistan’s dispatching of troops to the Kingdom for training of the Saudi forces two months ago.

The exercises and visit by Pakistan’s civil and military leaders has added significance in the wake of recent missile attacks from Yemen’s Hothi rebels but all such attacks were intercepted and foiled by the troops present in the ground in Saudi Arabia.

The sources pointed out that Saudi Arabia is enjoying extremely close ties with the United States and western countries. Riyadh’s tension with Tehran has mounted yet another time in the wake of Yemen missile attacks.

Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi and General Bajwa will discuss regional situation with special reference to the developments in the neighbourhood. The situation in Syria will also come up for deliberations in their meetings.

The visiting leaders from Pakistan will brief the host leaders about the South Asian situation in the backdrop of Indian atrocities in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK). Interestingly, Saudi Arabia has recently shown interest in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that Pakistan welcomed. Prime Minister Abbasi will be visiting Saudi Arabia for fourth time ever since he assumed the office in August last year. The sources pointed out that Prime Minster and Army Chief will return Islamabad in the wee hours of Sunday.