DLP REPORT
ISLAMABAD: In the backdrop of strained relations with Saudi Arabia over its position on Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has been busy in the Gulf Kingdom meeting their military and defence officials.
A brief statement by Pakistan Army said that Bajwa met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salaman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday to discuss matters of mutual interest. “Matters of mutual interest including bilateral defence, security cooperation and regional security were discussed,” the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) , army’s media wing, said.
Without giving details, the ISPR had earlier said that Bajwa had met with Saudi’s General Fayyad bin Hamid Al-Ruwaili, chairman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and other top commanders to discuss military ties, including training exchanges.
Bajwa’s Saudi visit comes days after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi blasted the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for not actively denouncing India’s actions in the occupied Kashmir region.
Pakistan, Qureshi had said, skipped a summit in Kuala Lumpur last year with a “heavy heart” because of Riyadh’s, so now it was time for Riyadh to step forward. Qureshi’s remarks revived Riyadh’s anger forcing Islamabad reportedly to pay back $1bn prematurely and was demanding another $1bn of the loan.
Pakistan last month had to borrow $1 billion from China to repay part of a $3 billion loan from Saudi Arabia to prop up Islamabad’s depleting foreign reserves.
A traditional ally, Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a $3bn loan and $3.2bn oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis in late 2018.
The Finance Ministry last week confirmed that Riyadh was reviewing Islamabad’s request for an extension of the oil credit facility, which ended in July.
Huge amounts of money sent by expatriates in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and other Gulf states have a significant effect on Pakistan’s economy.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE jointly host more than three million Pakistanis.
Saudi Arabia, where 1.9 million Pakistanis reside, tops the list of countries with the highest remittances to Pakistan at more than $4.5 billion annually, followed by the UAE, with in excess of $3.47 billion, according to official statistics.
Analysts have claimed that Gen Bajwa’s visit would seek to downplay the incident. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed is also accompanying Bajwa on his Saudi visit. Ends
