Middle East Desk
Report
RIYADH: Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh confirmed, amid a diplomatic spat that has threatened Riyadh’s financial lifeline to the cash-strapped economy.
Bajwa arrived in Riyadh at 10:00 am, the embassy said. A military source said the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), General Faiz Hameed, was accompanying Bajwa.
The two countries are traditionally close and Saudi Arabia in 2018 gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and $3.2bn oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis.
But Riyadh is irked by criticism from Pakistan that Saudi Arabia has been lukewarm on the Kashmir issue, two senior military officials had told Reuters, motivating the army chief’s planned visit. Last week, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had confirmed that the COAS was travelling, though the official line was that the visit was pre-planned and “primarily military affairs oriented”. Pakistan has long pressed the Saudi-led Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to convene a high-level meeting to highlight Indian violations in occupied Kashmir. But the OIC has only held low-level meetings so far.
On Aug 5, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said: “I am once again respectfully telling the OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation. “If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris.”
Qureshi said that Pakistan had skipped the Kuala Lumpur Summit last December on Saudi Arabia’s request and now Pakistani Muslims were demanding Riyadh “show leadership on the issue”.
“We have our own sensitivities. You have to realise this. Gulf countries should understand this,” the foreign minister had said, adding that he could no more indulge in diplomatic niceties.
He had made it clear that he was not being emotional and fully understood the implications of his statement. “It’s right, I’m taking a position despite our good ties with Saudi Arabia,” he said. The Foreign Office had later defended the minister’s remarks, saying his was a reflection of people’s aspirations and expectations from the OIC to raise the Kashmir issue internationally.
Earlier in the day, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani reiterated Islamabad’s full support for Riyadh and vowed to stand by the Kingdom during a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki.
“Pakistani Parliament, especially the Upper House (Senate), reiterates its commitment that no sacrifice will be spared for defending the sanctity of Haramain,” a statement issued by Sanjrani’s office said, adding that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “have always stood by each other in difficult times.”
