Pakistan PM Sharif visiting Saudi Arabia
Pakistan’s newly elected prime minister was visiting Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip since taking office, an attempt to boost economic relations with the wealthy, oil-rich kingdom as Pakistan struggles with huge debt, soaring inflation and a worsening energy crisis, according to The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif landed on Thursday in the holy city of Madinah, just weeks after political turmoil that rattled Pakistan’s fragile democracy and led to the ouster of former Premier Imran Khan.
Sharif professed enthusiasm before his departure, even speaking in Arabic in a video that praised the “brotherly kingdom” — a country where he spent years in exile and cultivated close ties with top officials.
Although Sharif sought to leverage his maiden trip to the birthplace of Islam as a diplomatic milestone, the political divisions that have pushed Pakistan to the brink of crisis were on stark display during his three-day visit.
Dozens of Khan’s supporters pumped their fists and hurled insults at Sharif, mobbing their political opponent as he visited one of Islam’s holiest sites — a rare scene of chaos at the shrine in Medina that drew public anger and condemnation back in Pakistan.
Sharif’s trip came at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reported, in order to advance “economic, trade and investment ties” and create “greater opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in Saudi Arabia.”
The kingdom hosts some 2.7 million Pakistanis, more than any other country. Remittances from expat labourers to Pakistan are projected to reach $32 billion this year, according to Pakistan’s central bank.
“I will have wide-ranging discussions with Saudi leadership,” Sharif tweeted, “to renew & reaffirm our bonds of brotherhood & friendship.”
Sharif is the younger brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — who, like other powerful family members, has been dogged by accusations of corruption that they have dismissed as politically motivated.
The kingdom is familiar territory for the Sharif political house. After a bloodless military coup ousted the elder Sharif from power in 1999, Saudi Arabia agreed to host the deposed Nawaz Sharif and his family.