COAS Gen Bajwa meets foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday met the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to discuss the prevailing situation in the region.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, matters of bilateral interest and the security situation of the region were discussed in the meeting.

The foreign ministers of the two Arab countries appreciated the role Pakistan had played for promoting peace and stability in the region, assuring Pakistan of unflinching support in times of crisis.

During the meeting, General Bajwa praised the long-standing strategic ties between Pakistan and brotherly Muslim countries and the role they had played in maintaining strategic balance in South Asia.

Both dignitaries — Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan — pledged to cooperate with Pakistan in resolving the issue of occupied Kashmir with India.

The two Arab ministers are visiting Islamabad for a one-day state visit. They have also held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in which key issues pertaining to matters of mutual interest were discussed.

In an interview on Sunday, Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki expressed serious concerns on India's move to revoke the special status of occupied Kashmir — Article 370 — and turn it into a union territory.

Prior to that, in a notification issued last month by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from Jeddah, India's decision to revoke Article 370 in occupied Kashmir was termed a unilateral move.

The OIC had also said it aimed for the Kashmir issue to be resolved through a vote in line with the United Nations' resolutions and demanded India immediately lift the curfew in Kashmir.