Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is likely to visit Pakistan this month to conclude agreements negotiated between Islamabad and Riyadh over several meetings over the past month, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Tuesday.
Addressing a briefing ahead of his participation in meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Gambia, he said the dates were yet to be finalized but various media reports have claimed it would be around May 15. “The crown prince had accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation. The visit is on the cards, but no dates have been communicated to us as yet,” he said, explaining the visit would cap off several rounds of negotiations between the two states.
Last month, the prime minister met the Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh, with MBS committing to invest $5 billion in Pakistan. This was followed by a Saudi ministerial delegation’s visit to Islamabad on April 15-16, and a Saudi businessmen delegation earlier this week. According to Dar, the discussions with the businessmen had left them “very impressed” with how Pakistan was progressing in its efforts to attract investment.
To a question, the foreign minister said Islamabad would decided on how to proceed with the Pak-Iran gas pipeline in light of its national interest and prior commitments. Acknowledging “external pressure”—particularly from the U.S.—to abandon the project, he said Islamabad cannot allow anyone to dictate it on its internal matters. He said Pakistan expected other countries to respect its sovereignty, as it did theirs.
Dar also announced he would visit China on a three-day trip from May 13-15 for a strategic dialogue with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. To a query, he rejected reports he had approved a summary for the import of wheat during the PDM-led government’s tenure. “The relevant ministry could not satisfy me about the need for importing wheat,” he said.
The foreign minister also confirmed the Foreign Office had arranged a meeting between U.S. envoy Donald Blome and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan at the request of the U.S. embassy. He said this was part of a series of meetings the U.S. embassy had sought with members of the government and opposition.