PM Shehbaz arrives in Saudi Arabia for 3-day visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday — his first foreign trip since assuming office — on a three- day visit at the assignation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Madinah Governor Faisal Bin Salman Al Saud and high- position Saudi officers entered the high minister and his delegation. The high minister was accompanied by crucial press members, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Narcotics Control Minister Shahzain Bugti, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

Federal minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi and MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui also joined PM Shehbaz on the sanctioned visit.

The high minister and members of his delegation latterly offered prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque.

Footage being participated on social media showed that when the PM and his delegation reached the synagogue, people there chanted taglines against them. In a videotape communication in response to the chants, Aurangzeb said she had supplicated for guidance for those chanting taglines at such a holy place.

Bonds of brotherhood and fellowship’
Prior to his departure, PM Shehbaz said he was embarking on the visit to” renew and reaffirm our bonds of brotherhood and fellowship”.

“I’ll have wide- ranging conversations with (the) Saudi leadership,”he said, calling the area one of Pakistan’s” topmost musketeers”.

The premier also issued a videotape communication shortly before leaving in which he said he was” pleased”that his first visit since assuming office was to the area.

“This reflects the high significance that Pakistan attaches to its special relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is major in nature and strategic in significance,”he said, thanking the crown Napoleon for the” gracious” invite.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are bound by deep-confirmed and abiding brotherly ties which are erected on a solid foundation of collective trust and support,”he said.

“We’re profoundly thankful to Saudi Arabia for its harmonious support to Pakistan in its delicate hours. For its part, Pakistan has always stood by Saudi Arabia and will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Saudi lines.”

PM Shehbaz also lauded the development the area has achieved under the vision of the crown Napoleon, calling it a transformational action.

“I look forward to my commerce with the Saudi leadership to review ourmulti-faceted bilateral cooperation and to take this special relationship to unknown heights,”the high minister said.

He also conveyed his good wishes to deportees in the area, saying that they contributed tremendously to the country’s profitable development.”They’re a crucial mate in farther fortifying Pakistan-Saudi fraternal relations,”he concluded.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Foreign Office (FO) said the high minister will be accompanied by a high- position delegation which will include crucial members of the civil press.

“During the visit, the high minister will have bilateral commerce with the Saudi leadership, with particular focus on advancing profitable, trade and investment ties and creation of lesser openings for the Pakistani pool in Saudi Arabia. The two sides will also change views on a range of indigenous and transnational issues of collective interest,”the statement said.

PM Shehbaz’s visit to Saudi Arabia will conduct a strong motivation to heightening bilateral cooperation in different fields and further support the growing cooperation between the two countries, the statement added.

The Saudi crown Napoleon had officially extended the assignation on April 16, when he’d called PM Shehbaz to compliment him after he came premier and assured him of the Kingdom’s continued support for Pakistan.

The two leaders had also bandied bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing and developing them in all felicitations. The crown Napoleon, according to the Saudi Press Agency, had verified the keenness of the Saudi leadership on supporting Pakistan in all fields.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier and the crown Napoleon had also agreed to work together to further compound and diversify their bilateral ties in all spheres, particularly trade, investment and employment generation openings.

PM Shehbaz had thanked the crown Napoleon for the support his country has been extending to Pakistan, describing it as “ major”.

PM Shehbaz’s trip, during which he’ll also perform Umrah, has also garnered attention for reasons piecemeal from it being his first foreign visit. He was originally criticised for bringing several family members on the trip on state charges and for planning to duty a aeroplane.

Still, the information minister has claimed that the high minister would be travelling on a marketable flight and all members of his cortege would be bearing their own charges.