DLP REPORT
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi left for China on a two-day visit on Thursday for the second round of the Beijing-Islamabad foreign ministers strategic dialogue following the return of the country’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa from a visit to Saudi Arabia.
While the army’s media wing had said that military ties were discussed during Bajwa’s visit to Riyadh, observers viewed it as an exercise aimed at controlling damage caused by Qureshi’s remarks earlier this month, blasting the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for not actively denouncing New Delhi’s actions in the India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir region. The FM had even threatened to seek support from other Muslim countries if the Saudi-dominated OIC fails to support Pakistan’s position on occupied Kashmir.
In a video message released before his departure, Qureshi said he was going on a “very important trip to China” and that he had a discussion with Prime Minister Imran Khan ahead of leaving. In a recent television interview, PM Khan had claimed that Pakistan’s future is connected with China and also stressed on Islamabad’s importance for Beijing.
“I am leaving on a very important visit to China. I had a discussion with the prime minister regarding this visit yesterday. My delegation will represent the stance of the political and military leadership of the country.
I am hopeful that my meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi will prove to be beneficial for both countries,” the FM said.
Qureshi’s remarks on Riyadh’s tilt towards India on Kashmir had revived anger of the Gulf Kingdom, forcing Islamabad to pay back $1bn prematurely and was reportedly demanding another $1bn of the loan.
Pakistan 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.
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.
