Abu Dhabi crown prince arrives today

Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed al Nahyan to hold meeting with PM Imran to further bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan will arrive in Islamabad today (Thursday) for a daylong visit and hold meetings with the top Pakistani leadership.

“The crown prince, also the deputy supreme commander of the UAE's armed forces, would hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan,” the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ambassador to Islamabad Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salim Al Zaabi said in a statement on Wednesday.

Hamad said the two leaders would “discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries and to exchange views on matters of mutual interest and regional and global situation”.

“The visit of the crown prince would further strengthen bonds of friendship between Pakistan and the UAE,” added the statement.

This will be the crown prince’s second visit to Pakistan since Prime Minister Imran Khan took office in August 2018.

The last time Sheikh Mohammad had visited Pakistan in January 2019 on the invitation of the prime minister. It was the first visit by a UAE ruler in 12 years. In a departure from the official protocol, the premier had driven to the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi to receive the royal guest.

The trip comes on the heel of a visit by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Prince Faisal last week held crucial meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan and other senior officials in which he extend Riyadh’s “steadfast support to Pakistan’s core national interests” including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) greater role on the Kashmir dispute.

In recent months, Pakistan has tried to facilitate dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran. It also tried to bring Saudi Arabia and Malaysia on the same page on the Kuala Lumpur summit.