Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Salman defers Pakistan visit

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s much-anticipated visit to Pakistan has been deferred for unspecified reasons, a report said on Saturday.

IMAGE: Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Photograph: Nicolas Asfonri/Pool/Reuters

He was earlier expected to arrive in Islamabad on May 19 on a two-day visit, Geo News reported.

Commenting on the visit of the Saudi crown prince, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch on Friday clarified that details of the visit will be made public as soon as a schedule is worked out between Islamabad and Riyadh.

Baloch was confident that the visit would take place soon and surely be valuable as the people of Pakistan were anxiously waiting for the leader from the brotherly country.

The high-level visit was likely to take place after the recent diplomatic and trade-related engagements between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the Kingdom in March.

The expected visit of the top dignitary, which has now been delayed, possesses vital importance to cash-strapped Pakistan eyeing big investment from Saudi Arabia in diverse fields.

It would also materialise the understanding between both countries in Makkah for attracting Saudi investments worth USD 5 billion in Pakistan in the coming days.

It would be the first visit of Mohammad Bin Salman to Pakistan in five years as he last visited the country in February 2019 during the rule of former prime minister Imran Khan.

He was due to visit Pakistan in 2022 as part of his visit to the region but the visit was called off at the 11th hour.

The visit will see the third in-person meeting between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in a period spanning five weeks.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defence, and cultural ties.

The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as a top source of remittances to the cash-strapped country.