Saudi Crown Prince’s Visit to Pakistan Postponed

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan has been postponed, the Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed on Saturday.

Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed the development, adding that the new date of his visit would be announced soon, reports Dawn.

Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the crown prince would soon be visiting Pakistan and that he had expressed willingness to support development projects in the country, including an anno­uncement for a $10 billion investment for est­a­blishing an oil refinery.

The premier’s remarks had come days after he concluded a three-day trip to the kingdom during which the two leaders resolved to upgrade bilateral ties and fraternal bonds.

“He, the crown prince was ready to do anything for the betterment of the people of Pakistan,” the prime minister had said.

“I want all of you to welcome him warmly because he comes from a brotherly country,” PM Shehbaz had said on Salman’s arrival.

The crown prince last visited Pakistan in February 2019 during the term of former prime minister Imran Khan.

During his visit, the inaugural session of the Saudi-Pak Supreme Coordination Council was held. The council was formed to put in place a high-level institutional mechanism to fast-track decisions in key areas of bilateral cooperation, and for close monitoring of their implementation.

Under the council, a steering committee and joint working groups were set up at ministerial and senior officials’ levels to develop frameworks of cooperation in specific projects and submit recommendations to the respective ministers.

Various Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements were also signed for investment cooperation during the crown prince’s visit.