Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Saudi Arabia on Sept. 19, says Qureshi

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, and his wife, left, visiting Al-Masjid an-Nabawī mosque in the Western Saudi city of Madinah, upon his arrival to attend the summits of Islamic nations in the Saudi holy city on Makkah on May 30, 2019. (SPA/File)

• Khan will be traveling to Saudi Arabia on his way to the US ahead of the UNGA session
• Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ‘have to deliberate on further measures’ – Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will be visiting Saudi Arabia on September 19, alongside foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ahead of their trip to the United States for the UN General Assembly session, Qureshi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the All Parties Kashmir Conference organized by PTI Punjab in Lahore, Qureshi said, "We have important sittings over there. Keeping those sittings at the forefront, we will have to deliberate on further measures."
"I think it is enough to say just this right now," he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Radio Pakistan reported a telephone conversation had taken place between PM Khan and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, with a focus on the attacks on oil plants in Saudi Arabia.
PM Khan expressed Pakistan's support for Saudi Arabia and "its full stand with all its potentials in confronting these sabotage acts which threaten the global economy and the kingdom's security.”
This is the third time that the two leaders have spoken over the phone since August.
Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes at a crucial time, as Pakistan attempts to garner support for its narrative on Kashmir after India abolished the limited constitutional autonomy of the disputed Himalayan territory on August 5.
Khan will fly on to the US after concluding his trip to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this week, foreign office spokesperson, Dr. Muhammad Faisal, told Arab News that Khan is also expected to “visit Saudi Arabia on his way back to Pakistan after [the] UNGA [session].”
The Kingdom and its Gulf ally, the United Arab Emirates, have always maintained strong diplomatic relations with Pakistan, with the kingdom pledging to invest $21 billion in the South Asian country, during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visit to Islamabad in February this year.