Newly Appointed Pakistani Prime Minister Visits Saudi
The newly appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, meets the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman. Photo: Associated Press of Pakistan.
In his maiden foreign trip as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia and met with the Crown Prince, Muhammad Bin Salman. During the three-day trip, the two leaders engaged in discussions on a wide array of topics ranging from regional issues, to advancing trade and mutual interests, to tackling Islamophobia.
The Prime Minister, as well as his delegation, received a warm welcome from the Crown Prince who had personally invited the newly appointed head of state to Saudi. Upon their arrival in Jeddah, Sharif and his delegation were presented with the Guard of Honor.
Recently appointed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, along with Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Ashrafi, and others accompanied Sharif on his stately visit to the Kingdom in the Middle East.
According to an official statement released from the Prime Minister's Office, matters relating to trade and business were focused on; the two leaders engaged in talks about expanding trade, increasing investment, and creating opportunities for Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia.
PM Shehbaz Sharif and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman were pictured together at the Royal Palace in Jeddah. Photo: AFP
“It was great meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We reaffirmed our commitment to taking Pakistan-Saudi ties to a new & higher level. I admired his visionary leadership & thanked him for according us a warm welcome & for always standing with Pakistan. We also discussed ways & means to further strengthen our bilateral relationship in all areas,” tweeted Prime Minister Sharif on April 30.
During his time in Saudi, the Premier and his delegation performed Umrah, during which they prayed for the security, development, and prosperity of Pakistan, along with praying for the security and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah (community) as a whole. On Thursday, Sharif arrived in the holy city of Madinah where he visited the Prophet’s Mosque, Masjid-i-Nabwi, and offered prayers. He then went to Makkah, where the doors of the sacred Islamic site of pilgrimage, the Kaabah, were opened exclusively for the PM and his delegation.
While in Makkah, the Prime Minister also met with the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha. In his meeting with Taha, PM Sharif reaffirmed his government’s dedication and commitment to advancing and protecting the interests of the Muslim Ummah– stating how doing so will be an integral part of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
The Secretary-General of the OIC and PM Sharif discussed matters pertaining to the Muslim community, referred to as “the Ummah,” around the world. Sharif urged the OIC to lead diplomatic efforts, in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions, towards resolving the dispute over Kashmir. Sharif also brought forth the topic of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in occupied territories of Palestine. He emphasized how Israel must not be allowed to seize control– temporally or spatially– over a site as holy and significant to the Muslim people as the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Sharif also stressed the dire need of providing urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Further, he highlighted the global increase in Islamophobia suggesting that the OIC needs to concentrate its efforts on countering the alarming rise of Islamophobia on an international scale. Sharif also maintained that as the chair of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Pakistan will play a proactive role in all matters of interests and concern to the OIC member states.