Pakistan reiterates its promise to protect Kingdom’s sovereignty

ISLAMABAD: Expressing solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan on Saturday once again reiterated its commitment to defend the sovereignty of the country, Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh, a member of the Senate told Arab News.
The comments followed a meeting conducted by the Senate standing committee on foreign affairs on Friday to review the situation in the Gulf and the role that Pakistan is expected to play in it.
Senator Shaikh said that Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Dr. Mohammad Faisal briefed the committee on the situation in the Gulf region, adding that there would be no change in Islamabad’s policy toward the Kingdom.
“We all (the members of the committee) unanimously expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia,” Shaikh, a representative of the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) said. MQM is an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Ties between Islamabad and Riyadh are deep-rooted and Pakistan has always been vocal about its support for the Kingdom, insisting that it will always work toward protecting its sovereignty as a matter of principle and based on the historic ties shared between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia was the first country that Prime Minister Imran Khan chose to visit since assuming office in August this year. He returned to the Kingdom once again in October to participate in a prestigious business conference in Riyadh, also known as the “Davos in the desert”.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki, met with President Dr. Arif Alvi at the President House in Islamabad.
A statement issued after the meeting said that the two countries would soon sign an agreement to establish an oil refinery in Pakistan, in addition to finalizing other major projects which Saudi Arabia has shown interest in.
Dr. Alvi, on his part, stressed on the need for more exchanges to take place between the business delegations of both the countries.