Saudi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan delayed by a day

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The two-day visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to Pakistan has been delayed to February 17, a statement from the Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Friday. The crown prince, who was scheduled to land in Islamabad on February 16 (tomorrow) for a two-day visit, will now visit the country on Feb 17-18. In its statement, the Foreign Office spokesman said the programme with regard to Prince Mohammad's stay in Pakistan will remain unchanged. He did not state a reason behind the change in the schedule. Meanwhile, in a notification that was sent to the invitees of an upcoming conference of Pakistani and Saudi businessmen, the Board of Investment (BoI) of the Prime Minister’s Office said the visit of the Saudi delegation to Pakistan has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances. “Therefore, the Pak-Saudi Business Conference which was scheduled to be held on 17th February, 2019 has also been postponed,” the notice read. It said the new date of the meeting will be informed in due course of time. “Any inconvenience caused in this regard is highly regretted,” it read.

Mohammad bin Salman to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman will arrive in Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day official visit to Pakistan on invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including members of Saudi Royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen. This will be the first state-level visit of the dignitary to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of Crown Prince in April 2017. During his visit, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman will meet President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A Senate delegation will also call on the Crown Prince to discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. The Saudi Ministers accompanying the Crown Prince will meet their counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation in their respective fields. During his stay, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will sign a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors. The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.