Imran Khan
Resetting Ties: Pakistan PM Imran Khan visits Saudi Arabia for three days
Islamabad: Pakistan PM Imran Khan has commenced his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to reset ties with its old ally.
Relationship between Pakistan and Saudi has touched low points in recent times.
“PM Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week … is an attempt to reset relations to their former, very close level,” Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the foreign policy programme of Brookings Institution, told Al Jazeera.
Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia just days before Khan's arrival in the country.
“Bajwa, like all Pakistani army chiefs, calls the shots on foreign policy, and his own visit was clearly meant to convey a Pakistani seriousness of purpose in advance of Khan’s arrival,” Michael Kugelman, a senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center think-tank told Al Jazeera.
“Given the Biden administration’s tough stance towards Saudi Arabia, Riyadh cannot afford to cut off any allies at the moment- be they big or small in significance,” Arhama Siddiqa, a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad told the news channel.
The visit represents “each side’s attempt to further a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership”, Siddiqa told Al Jazeera.
Kugelman said Khan's main aim will be to regain financial assistance from Riyadh.
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