COAS Gen Bajwa arrives in Saudi Arabia to revive ties

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday amid a row between the two countries.

General Bajwa arrived in Riyadh at 10 AM, the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh said. He is accompanied by head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Faiz Hameed.

The army chief will discuss developments in Afghanistan and brief about the situation prevailing in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), especially since the illegal annexation of the disputed area more than one year ago.

He is also expected to meet the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz during his visit.

The two countries are traditionally close and Saudi Arabia in 2018 gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and $3.2bn oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis.

Saudi Arabia is irked by criticism from Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, prompting the army chief’s planned visit.

Last week, the military’s media affairs wing had confirmed that the COAS was travelling and the visit was pre-planned and “primarily military affairs oriented”.

Pakistan has long pressed the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to convene a high-level meeting to highlight Indian violations in occupied Kashmir. The OIC has only held low-level meetings so far.

On 5th August, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said: “I am once again respectfully telling the OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation.

“If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris.”

Qureshi said that Pakistan had skipped the Kuala Lumpur Summit last December on Saudi Arabia’s request and now Pakistani Muslims were demanding Riyadh “show leadership on the issue”.

“We have our own sensitivities. You have to realise this. Gulf countries should understand this,” the foreign minister had said, adding that he could no more indulge in diplomatic niceties.

He had made it clear that he was not being emotional and fully understood the implications of his statement. “It’s right, I’m taking a position despite our good ties with Saudi Arabia,” he said.

The Foreign Office had later defended the minister’s remarks, saying it was a reflection of people’s aspirations and expectations from the OIC to raise the Kashmir issue internationally.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, the FO spokesperson had said that the people of Pakistan had more expectations from the OIC and would like it to play a leading role in raising the Kashmir issue.