Journalist’s disappearance: Saudi, Turkish efforts to resolve issue welcoming, says FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has finally ‘welcomed’ efforts by Saudi Arabia and Turkey to look into the ‘disappearance’ of the reputed Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, who has been unheard of since he entered the Saudi consulate in Ankara a few weeks back and hoped that the matter would be successfully addressed.

Trying to balance its relations with both the countries, Islamabad has refrained from expressing ‘concern’ on the ‘disappearance’, at a time when many unconfirmed Turkish media reports speak of Khashoggi having been murdered.

“We understand that the investigation was going on and it would therefore be appropriate to await the outcome. We welcome Saudi and Turkish efforts to jointly look into the matter,” spokesman at the Foreign Office told the media.

He further underscored Pakistan’s close and fraternal relationship with both Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and added that Pakistan hopes that the two brotherly countries will be able to jointly address the matter.

Pressure from important world capitals have come down on Saudi Arabia with President Trump saying on Sunday night, “We’re going to get to the bottom of it andthere will be severe punishment”, but did not elaborate as to the form of the ‘punishment’.

President Trump decided to send his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia for deliberations regarding missing journalist. No further information was available. Earlier Trump had said that he was not in favour of cutting off an important arms deal with Saudi Arabia as this would hit the US economy and cut jobs.

However, while Saudi Arabia continues to claim that Khashoggi had left the consulate on Sunday and said that it would not be cowed down by “threats of economic sanctions or political pressure”, and warned that the Kingdom will respond to any steps taken against it.

More important is the fact that leading US businessmen are canceling their participation in an international economic forum in Saudi Arabia after this latest controversy. The OIC and other Muslim states have completely ignored this ‘disappearance.’ The European Union too, has not clarified its position.