Daily Times

On October 25, 2020, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority launched a new twenty-riyal banknote to mark Saudi presidency of the G20 summit. The banknote, on the front side, carries the picture of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, along with a slogan of Saudi Presidency, while the back side features a world map showing the G20 countries in a different color.

However, the world map does not show Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir as parts of Pakistan.

Indian media outlets are calling it KSA’s official stance on Kashmir issue, and are claiming that Saudi Arabia’s priorities lie with India. According to reports, the Saudi Kingdom is set to invest 60 billion USD in oil refinery sector in India. The two countries are strengthening their economic ties.
Earlier in September, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen indicated that Saudi Arabia will announce normalization of ties with Israel after US elections. Saudi Arabia, along with the US, played a significant role in the normalization accords between the Gulf states and Israel. It is being speculated that most Arab states will soon sign peace accords with Israel to normalize diplomatic ties, as a result of Riyadh’s efforts to soften Israel’s image. Pakistan, on the other hand, holds a strong opposition against Israel due to the Palestine conflict, and refuses to recognize Israel’s status as a state. Prime Minister Imran Khan clearly stated that Islamabad would not recognize Israel, even if the whole world does so.

Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and Palestine conflicts is similar, however Saudi Arabia’s increasing proximity with India and Israel is assumed to be one of the reasons behind changing dynamics of Pak-Saudi Arabia diplomatic relations.
Pakistan’s ties with KSA have seen some low points in recent years, particularly after the ‘lukewarm’ Saudi response to India’s decision to revoke the special autonomous status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian media, continuing its practice of false reporting and irresponsible journalism, is using this situation to project its hateful sentiments towards Pakistan.