- President also calls on Yemen’s Hadi, Kuwait’s Al-Ghanim in Jeddah
- PM Nawaz likely to meet King Salman during his stay in Saudi kingdom
President Mamoon Hussain held a meeting with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz alSaud to discuss latest situation in South Asia and the Middle East, besides bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Saudi kingdom, according to the Radio Pakistan on Sunday.
In Jeddah, President Mamnoon also met with Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Marzooq bin Ali Al-Ghanim, and discussed matters of mutual interest. The president returned home after performing Umrah and was seen off at the airport by Jeddah Governor Mishaal bin Majid bin Abdulaziz.
The president’s meeting with the Saudi monarch comes days in the backdrop of a deepening diplomatic rift in the Middle East, days after Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif held talks with King Salman during a one-day trip to the kingdom.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, backed by United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Maldives, cut off all trade and diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the country of sponsoring terrorism. The deepening crisis in the region has led Pakistan along with other countries into coming up with a suitable strategy to end the conflict.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, along with his family members, reached Saudi Arabia. Upon his arrival, the Pakistani delegation was received by Makkah’s deputy governor. The prime minister and his family travelled on a commercial airliner in a private visit.
The premier is expected to perform Umrah in Makkah, and then proceed to Medina to visit Masjid-e-Nabvi. The Sharif family usually spends the last 10 days of Ramazan in the holy cities. A meeting of the prime minister with Saudi King Salman cannot be ruled out.
On June 25, the prime minister is expected to go to London for a medical checkup. On May 31 last year, the premier underwent a heart surgery in London. In that visit, the prime minister spent almost 50 days out of the country.
