Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal will arrive in Islamabad on a two-day visit on Monday, January 6, under a scheduled programme.
Prince Saud al Faisal will head a team of more than a dozen Saudi officials.
There is speculation that Riyadh may be sending a message to Islamabad in the wake of the latest developments in the treason case against Pervez Musharraf, who is considered to be close to the Saudi regime.
According to official sources, during his stay, in the federal capital, the Saudi foreign minister will hold in-depth talks with the Pakistani leadership including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He will hold a special meeting with the Adviser to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to discuss bilateral relations and to further expanding Pak-Saudi ties and enhancing cooperation in various fields.
Besides bilateral matters, Saudi foreign minister will also discuss Afghanistan and the regional situation.
His visit is also significant keeping in mind the deadlock on Syria, the situation in Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear agreement.
The Saudi foreign minister was invited to Islamabad after he met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly in New York last year.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (10)
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@Feroz - You hit the bullseye...
@Lala Gee - Other countries too have that power, but nobody has put themselves on sale as you guys have.
Let him take their disciple Musharraf and Taliban warriors. We are so weak and tired that we cannot feed and entertain them. That is only the gift we can give to Saudi Arabia for their love on us.
@chandran:
And they can buy anything they want...they have that power.
he is coming because he want to purchase some nukes from you
@Lala Gee - Actually all countries except U.S., India & Israel have your interests at heart.
@Lala Gee: I don't think you got any choice but to agree. Else you would really be eating grass for a long time.
That the Saudi Foreign Minister will waste his time to go and rescue a former tinpot Dictator of a developing country, stretches credibility to the limit. That the Media is also involved in this spin is to put a veil over the true intent. The Saudis are coming to encash the IOU's they are holding -- they want to collect the Nuclear Weapons they claim to have paid for handsomely over time with promises of more goodies. They will also issue subtle warnings not to go ahead with the IP pipeline. How the Military Establishment and PM Nawaz Sharif play this googly will determine the survival of the country, if not a lot more. If the answer is NO the Saudis are very capable of bank rolling a takeover by the Taliban through their friends and the agents they have assiduously cultivated over time. If YES and proliferation occurs all over again, the US and the West will not only impose sanctions but also work actively to dismember the country. Whatever the outcome common citizens are going to be victims of this game, while a few from among the elite will go laughing all the way to the Bank, country be damned. No one should claim they were not warned, in this game of cloak and daggers, daggers abounding.
Dear King, please leave us alone! We want to implement Rule of Law in Pakistan. You will make 190 Million Pakistanis your opponents (& critics) if you try to meddle in the internal affairs of Pakistan. Unlike KSA, we have an independent judiciary, active civil society, vibrant electronic media and hyper-social media.
Its in our interest to always agree to what Saudi Arabia says because countries like Saudi Arabia, China and Turkey always also have our interest in their hearts.
The Saudi FM is coming to take Nawaz Sharif away. They miss his company and intellectual prowess besides there are not many avenues of entertainment.