LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif is currently in Saudi Arabia and the rumour mills in the country are churning out as many theories as possible. However, the real reason behind the rumour mills going berserk is that the whole visit is shrouded in mystery.
To begin with, it was Al-Jazeera that reported on December 28 that Shehbaz Sharif had held a meeting with ambassadors of 16 countries at his residence in Model Town, Lahore, before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
It was reported in Pakistani press that Shehbaz went straight to the airport after the meeting where a Saudi plane was already waiting for him and he didn’t take any of his usual crew members with him on the visit, but only the very close and trusted aides were taken along.
But he wasn’t alone in the plane. Daily Times has learnt through credible sources that there were few senior Saudi officials already inside the plane and the first meeting on the tour actually took place during the flight.
As soon as the younger Sharif landed in Saudi Arabia, the entry for the media personnel from Pakistan into the kingdom was blocked almost immediately. The sources told that at least two major news channels from Pakistan had requested visas for their reporters to Saudi Arabia but were not granted any.
Shehbaz Sharif has already held some very important meetings with high-ranking Saudi officials in Medina but only the photos from Prophet’s mosque have made it to the media so far. It has been learnt that no one, other than those performing Umrah, was allowed an entry into the mosque while CM was inside.
The sources told that the photos of his meeting with Turkish premier made it to the media without the approval of both. It was claimed by both the sides that the meeting was unscheduled but it was not, claim the sources.
Nawaz going straight to Riyadh
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also leaving for Saudi Arabia today. It was previously reported that Tayyip Erdogan will also be in Saudi Arabia during Nawaz Sharif’s stay in the kingdom but the Turkish President’s visit has reportedly been cancelled now because of excessive speculation about his role in a ‘deal’ that is allegedly being brokered in Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, Nawaz was earlier scheduled to land in Jeddah but the reports claim that he will head straight to the Saudi capital Riyadh now.
Nawaz Sharif has been invited to Saudi Arabia after various meetings between his brother Shehbaz Sharif and some senior Saudi officials. It is pertinent to mention here that National Security Advisor Nasir Khan Janjua had briefed the former premier on national security and terrorism in a meeting at Nawaz Sharif’s Jati Umra residence on Thursday that continued for approximately five hours.
The most significant meeting
Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, on Sunday or late Saturday night. The reason behind Nawaz Sharif landing directly in Riyadh could also be an early meeting with the crown prince.
Sources added that the meeting has been scheduled after thorough deliberations by Punjab CM and other key officials in the Saudi royalty.
A formal press release will be issued after the meeting.