Saudi crown prince sees Pakistan as ‘very important country in future'

[Shahzaz ud din]

Saudi crown prince sees Pakistan as ‘very important country in future'
By News Desk
Published: February 17, 2019
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is on an official visit to Islamabad, said on Sunday that Pakistan is going to be an important regional player in the future, and the Kingdom will not leave any stone unturned in extending support to the “brotherly country”.

“We have been a brotherly country to Pakistan…we have worked together through thick and thin and will continue the same [in future],” Prince Mohammad said in his address at the inaugural session of the Supreme Coordination Council, co-chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the crown prince. “We believe Pakistan is going to be very very important country in the future and we want to be sure we are part of that.”

He added: “We cannot say no to Pakistan, whatever you [Pakistan] want we will do.”



Speaking on the occasion, Premier Imran said both nations had taken their relationship to “the next level” with investment in different fields such as tourism.

“The future is [looking] exciting for both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia after joining hands,” he said, adding that, the crown prince has been given a rousing reception on his arrival which is testament to his popularity.

The country’s premier also requested Prince Mohammad to have prospecting Hajj pilgrims be allowed to complete their immigration in Pakistan and not in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities had earlier assured Islamabad of including Pakistan in its “Road to Makkah” initiative on the government’s insistence. The service will offer pre-clearance of immigration for pilgrims at their respective points of embarkation. It has already been introduced for pilgrims in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The premier also asked the heir to the Saudi throne to look into the 3,000 Pakistanis languishing in the Kingdom’s jails.

“They had gone to Saudi Arabia looking to only support their families back home,” he said.

Earlier, the crown prince was greeted with a booming 21-gun salute as he arrived at the Nur Khan airbase. He was warmly embraced by PM Imran and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa as he stepped onto a red carpet flanked by a guard of honour.

The heir to the Saudi throne is accompanied by a high-powered delegation comprising members of the Royal family, cabinet ministers and leading Saudi businessmen.

The prime minister drove the crown prince to the Prime Minister House where an official welcome ceremony was arranged.

At the official welcome ceremony, national anthems of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were played, and the crown prince reviewed the guard of honour.

This is Prince Mohammad’s first state visit to Pakistan since becoming the heir to the throne in 2017.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi received his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir at the Nur Khan Airbase.

Prince Mohammad will call on President Arif Alvi at the President House on Monday.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[Path-Finder]

 

[Meengla]

The premier also asked the heir to the Saudi throne to look into the 3,000 Pakistanis languishing in the Kingdom’s jails.

“They had gone to Saudi Arabia looking to only support their families back home,” he said.

I saw the strange request by Imran Khan. So, out of the 2.5 million Pakistanis in KSA, 3,000 are in jail and Imran Khan publicly made a request about them. Why? If they broke the local laws then they had it coming. You know the Saudis don't even spare their own rich folks for breaking the law. Saudi Arabia has very low crime rate because of strict enforcement of their laws.

Political capital must not be spent on unwarranted favors.

 

[That Guy]

I saw the strange request by Imran Khan. So, out of the 2.5 million Pakistanis in KSA, 3,000 are in jail and Imran Khan publicly made a request about them. Why? If they broke the local laws then they had it coming. You know the Saudis don't even spare their own rich folks for breaking the law. Saudi Arabia has very low crime rate because of strict enforcement of their laws.

Political capital must not be spent on unwarranted favors.

They're still Pakistani citizens, as such they're still the responsibility of Pakistan.

It's common sense for him to ask such a thing, it has nothing to do with political capital.

 

[Whirling_dervesh]

Silly request and immature...that's a matter behind closed doors.

 

[Cash GK]

I saw the strange request by Imran Khan. So, out of the 2.5 million Pakistanis in KSA, 3,000 are in jail and Imran Khan publicly made a request about them. Why? If they broke the local laws then they had it coming. You know the Saudis don't even spare their own rich folks for breaking the law. Saudi Arabia has very low crime rate because of strict enforcement of their laws.

Political capital must not be spent on unwarranted favors.

it is not strange request. i used to live in saudia for 5 years.. police chatch people there even without doing anything wrong and put you in prison for years. many powerful kafeels put their workers in prison.many people who got by police because of their visa expires.. many people got into prison when their kafeel took money from them to renew their visas but they don’t do. later police catch them and put them in prison as well. pakistanis don’t steel money and they not famous for doing things wrong. yeha they do get in to unnecessary fights sometimes. i hope you understood the matter well. khan is full awar of the problems there..

 

[Pakistani Aircraft]

The Saudi Crown Prince seems very happy and very optimistic about Pakistan's fiture. He is ready and willing to invest heavily in country.

 

[BATMAN]

It's common sense for him to ask such a thing, it has nothing to do with political capital.

It's nonsense to ask for the release of criminals and law breakers... !!!
Well.. if it is sensible for some, than i would like to see govt. of Pakistan bringing prisoners back from all over the world. example.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1367036/pakistani-jailed-germany-spying-iran/

BTW.... Pakistani prisoners are also in Iranian jails and Iranian justice system has no credibility but the hypocrites like those in picture below are comfortable there.

 

[Numerous]

I like that he asked about the prisoners. Normally Pakistani leaders don't give too much care to pakistanis who get in trouble with/in other countries. So it makes a nice change.

I imagine not all of them are innocent though but Imran khan probably has more accurate information about the prisoner situation and he made the choice to talk about it so he probably has good reason to.

 

[Baby Leone]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Sunday expressed optimism about the economic future of Pakistan, saying his country had been waiting for a leadership like that of Prime Minister Imran Khan to partner with Islamabad in various areas.

Addressing a reception dinner at Prime Minister House hours after arriving in Pakistan, the crown prince — known as MBS for short — said Pakistan is a "dear country" to all Saudis and that the two countries "have walked together in tough and good times".

He said Pakistan today had a great future in store "with a great leadership", and noted that the country's GDP grew by 5 per cent in 2018.

"We believe that Pakistan is going to be a very, very important country in the coming future and we want to be sure we are part of that," the crown prince said.

Turning towards Prime Minister Khan, he said his country had been "waiting for that kind of a leadership" to partner with and "build a lot of things together".





“Pakistan is an important friendly country for Saudi Arabia & the brotherhood between the both countries will be further improved in coming days.Pakistan has vast potential in tourism & it will be an attractive country for tourism” Crown Prince #CrownPrinceinPakistan


He noted that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan today signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for investment cooperation.

"We believe the amount of that kind of investment is US $20 billion," MBS said. "It's big, for phase one."

He expressed the hope that the investment will grow to bigger numbers in the coming years and be beneficial for both the countries.

The Saudi royal said his country would collaborate with Pakistan economically, politically and in terms of security. "We believe in our region, that is why we are investing in it," he added.

"This is my first trip [to the] east since I became the crown prince and the first country [that I have visited] is Pakistan," the Saudi royal concluded.

Saudi Arabia a 'friend in need': PM
Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech welcomed the Saudi crown prince and his delegation to the country, saying the Kingdom has always been a "friend in need" to Pakistan.

"For Pakistanis, this is a great day," the premier said, adding that Saudi Arabia had always been there when Pakistan needed friends.

"I want to thank you for the way you helped us when we were in [a] bad situation," Khan told MBS, adding that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were now taking their relationship to a new level, where investment agreements would be mutually beneficial for the countries.

The investment would revolve around minerals, tourism, petrochemicals, agriculture, food processing and other areas, he said.





“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are enjoying historical relations in different fields.I thank Saudi Arabia for commendable assistance and investments in Pakistan. Saudi Arabia has supported Pakistan in all critical and difficult times” Prime Minister Imran Khan #CrownPrinceinPakistan

https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1097194684143800321

Prime Minister Khan also invited Riyadh to avail opportunities that can arise from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Pakistan's close links with Beijing. "It is an exciting future where we have Saudi Arabia participating in what is going to be, in the next 10 years, probably the country with the biggest GDP," he added.

Khan told MBS that if it hadn't been for security concerns, "you would have seen thousands and thousands of people on the streets welcoming you."

The prime minister's speech preceded the address of the Saudi crown prince, but once MBS finished, Khan rose again to speak about two issues.

One, he requested MBS to allow Pakistani Haj pilgrims to undergo immigration at the three major Pakistani airports before leaving for Saudi Arabia for their convenience.

Secondly, Prime Minister Khan requested the Saudi authorities to look into the hardships of the Pakistani labourers working in the Kingdom.

"There are some 3,000 [Pakistani] prisoners there and we just would like you to bear in mind that they are poor people who have left their families behind," Khan said.

Terming it a "special request", the premier asked MBS to "look upon them [Pakistani labourers] as your own people".

In response, MBS told Prime Minister Khan he could consider him the ambassador of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia.

"We cannot say no to Pakistan ... whatever we can do, we will deliver that."

MoUs for bilateral cooperation signed
Prior to the dinner, Pakistani and Saudi officials signed MoUs for bilateral cooperation in a number of areas — a process overseen by Prime Minister Khan and MBS. The agreements signed include:

• Technical cooperation programme between the Saudi Standards, Metrology And Quality Organisation (SASO) and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)
• Cooperation agreement between Saudi and Pakistani governments in the field of sports
• Financing agreement for the import of Saudi goods between the Saudi Fund for Development and Pakistan
• Framework MoU regarding Saudi funds' participation in the financing of power generation projects between the Saudi Fund for Development and Pakistan
• MoU between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to explore investment opportunities in refining and petrochemical sectors
• MoU between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the field of mineral resource sector
• MoU between the government of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the development of renewable energy projects

Govt of Pakistan


Prime Minister Imran Khan and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman witnessing the signing of MoUs at Islamabad.

#CrownPrincePakistanVisit #InvestInPakistan

https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1097200306641879045
One-on-one meeting
Prime Minister Khan also held a one-on-one meeting with the Saudi crown prince at PM House. It was followed by the inaugural session of the Saudi-Pak Supreme Coordination Council.

Co-chaired by Khan and MBS, 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, a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office said.

The council which was originally proposed by MBS will cover areas under three pillars: political and security, economic, social and culture.

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

The functioning of the body will be coordinated by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. The Supreme Coordination Council will meet annually in Riyadh and Islamabad, alternately.

 

[That Guy]

It's nonsense to ask for the release of criminals and law breakers... !!!
Well.. if it is sensible for some, than i would like to see govt. of Pakistan bringing prisoners back from all over the world. example.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1367036/pakistani-jailed-germany-spying-iran/

BTW.... Pakistani prisoners are also in Iranian jails and Iranian justice system has no credibility but the hypocrites like those in picture below are comfortable there.

And the PM should ask that they also be taken care of.

I repeat, they're Pakistani citizens, and freely allowing a foreign nation to meddle with the citizenry is basically handing over its sovereign rights.

Criminal or not, Pakistan can and should protect its citizens to the best of its abilities, otherwise, there is no point to government.

 

[Baby Leone]

Pakistan is the next big thing and the whole world is admitting it no matter its Arab World, China Turkey Europe or now even USA.......its time for our eastern nation to become more secular and start working for poor people of this region and leave hate mongering and Hindu extremism aside.

 

[MultaniGuy]

Insh'Allah, may Pakistan prosper.

 

[Baby Leone]

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