Daily Times

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will be visiting Pakistan on February 17-18, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said on Friday.

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government has finalized arrangements to warmly welcome the crown prince and that Prime Minister Imran Khan will personally receive him at the airport. Talking to reporters here, Fawad said a fleet of Pakistan Air Force jets will escort his planes as they enter the country’s airspace. The crown prince will be given a 21-gun salute at the airport, he added.

The minister said a dinner will be hosted at the Prime Minister House which will be addressed by both Imran Khan and Mohammad bin Salman. There will be a coordination session between the joint working groups of both the countries wherein they will discuss their fields of interest, he said. Agreements worth billions of dollars will be signed during the visit, he said, adding that huge investments in Pakistan are expected from Saudi Arabia.

He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was trying to accommodate the country’s maximum manpower in Saudi Arabia as Riyadh is planning to build two new cities. It will be the government’s priority to utilize maximum Pakistani labour in that project, he added.

Replying to a question, the minister said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are enjoying the deep-rooted and historical relationship and the visit of Saudi crown prince will further strengthen the fraternal ties. He said the Supreme Coordination Council has been constituted between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia which will be headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan from Pakistan and Mohammad bin Salman from Saudi Arabia. It will work to address various issues and remove obstacles in implementation of all the agreements signed between the two countries, he added.

Prince Mohammad is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the Saudi royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen. During his visit, the crown prince will also hold meetings with President Arif Alvi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A delegation of Pakistan’s Senate will also call on him and discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

Prince Mohammad will be conferred with Nishan-e-Pakistan – the highest civilian award – during his visit to the country.

According to Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Faisal, following MoUs are expected to be signed during Prince Mohammad’s visit to Pakistan: MoU on drug control, smuggling and psychotropic substances; MoU in the field of mineral resources; MoU on development of renewable energy projects; agreement on technical cooperation; MoU on combating organized crime; agreement in the fields of culture, media and sports; launching of Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council.

The Saudi guests will be provided a three-layer box security from the military airbase to the PM House. Triple-one brigade of the country’s armed forces and Saudi Royal Guards will jointly perform the security duties on the occasion. Saudi experts, equipped with latest GPS traffic system, will further ensure security of the travellers. All highrise buildings between the airport and the prime minister’s official residence will be occupied by sharpshooters while commandos will also be deployed at all flyovers and overhead bridges on the way.

Published in Daily Times, February 16^th 2019.