PM Nawaz, Prince Mohammad discuss bilateral ties, regional situation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional situation in his meeting with visiting Saudi Crown Prince and Defence Minister Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz in Islamabad.

“Prime Minister Nawaz welcomed the Deputy Crown Prince and stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Custodian of the Holy Mosques were held in high esteem by the people of Pakistan,” said a statement issued by the PM House.

The premier affirmed that the people of Pakistan were bonded with the people of KSA through historical, cultural and Islamic ties of brotherhood. He added that the people of Pakistan would always stand with the people of Saudi Arabia, against any threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

Same views were expressed by Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif during his meeting with the visiting Saudi prince at the GHQ in Rawalpindi earlier in the day.

Also read: ‘Threat to Saudi territorial integrity to evoke strong response from Pakistan’

The prime minister welcomed the Saudi initiative to establish a coalition of like-minded Islamic countries to counter terrorism and militancy and informed the Deputy Crown Prince that Pakistan supports efforts to counter terrorism and extremism.

The two leaders agreed to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and deepen the cooperation in all fields, including defence security, fight against terrorism, trade and investment and manpower requirements of the Kingdom.

The Deputy Crown Prince appreciated the valiant efforts waged by the security and law enforcement authorities to root out terrorism from Pakistan, particularly through the military campaign Zarb-e-Azb.

He was also briefed on the progress in implementing National Action Plan (NAP) to eliminate extremism and terrorism.

It was agreed that the two countries would cooperate in developing an effective counter narrative to defeat the extremist mindset.

Prime Minister Nawaz recalled that Pakistan has historically pursued the policy of promoting brotherhood among member states of OIC.

The statement added that ‘Pakistan has always expressed its readiness to offer its good offices to brotherly Muslim countries, for resolution of their differences through peaceful dialogue and reconciliation’.