Nawaz, Maryam hold ‘positive meeting’ with Saudi crown prince

RIYADH: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz Friday met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) here. 

During the meeting, both sides discussed in detail the current issues being faced by Pakistan and their solution, reports Geo News.

According to sources, the meeting between the former prime minister and the crown prince was positive. The three-time prime minister and PMLN chief organiser are currently in Saudi Arabia.

They also performed Umrah along with their other family members. The Sharif family reached Saudi Arabia on April 11.

Nawaz Sharif is visiting Saudi Arabia after six years.

Sources further told The News that Nawaz had initially planned to stay in the Kingdom till April 26, but Hussain Nawaz and his family requested him to prolong his stay in Jeddah at his residence. Nawaz Sharif might also meet the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz in Jeddah.

Earlier this month, sources claimed that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud invited Nawaz — who is considered close to the royal family — and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the kingdom to perform Umrah as a gesture of goodwill.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb in a tweet on Friday said the leaders discussed further strengthening of the Pak-Saudi relations.

They also deliberated on solutions to the problems being faced by Pakistan. She said Nawaz Sharif expressed good wishes for the Saudi leadership.

According to wires, MBS conveyed good wishes and referred to the strong bond between the two brotherly countries. PML-N did not post any pictures from the meeting, and the Saudi side made no public note of it.

The meeting, which comes at a time Pakistan is going through serious economic and political troubles, had not been publicised earlier nor any pictures were released.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the lower house of parliament that Saudi Arabia would provide another $2 billion to Pakistan in order to bolster the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

In January, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir met with MBS at the winter camp in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and reviewed bilateral relations.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the two leaders also discussed ways to enhance relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in addition to a number of issues of common concern.