Saudi Arabia yesterday vowed to “de-escalate” rising tensions between Pakistan and India during a high-profile summit in Islamabad as Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman prepares to travel from Islamabad to New Delhi.
The kingdom’s foreign minister spoke at a press conference in Islamabad as Pakistan recalled its envoy from Delhi for “consultations,” the latest development in a fresh diplomatic crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
New Delhi has vowed to retaliate after a suicide blast that killed 41 Indian paramilitaries in Kashmir on Thursday last week, the deadliest attack in the disputed Himalayan region in decades.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The attack has sparked widespread calls in India for action against Pakistan.
“Our objective is to try to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, neighboring countries, and to see if there is a path forward to resolving those differences peacefully,” Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said.
Following the pledge, the crown prince — widely known as MBS — held a series of meetings yesterday afternoon with the Pakistani leadership before flying on to India.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947, with both countries, which have fought three wars, claiming it in its entirety.
The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack and the vehicle was driven by a known local militant.
India is garnering diplomatic support after the attack and has vowed to “isolate” Pakistan in the international community, saying it has “incontrovertible evidence” of Islamabad’s role.
Pakistan has rejected the allegations.
After his arrival late on Sunday, MBS signed US$20 billion in investment deals with cash-strapped Islamabad and vowed to free thousands of Pakistani prisoners in Riyadh’s custody.
Islamabad is facing a serious balance of payments crisis and hopes the huge deals signed over the two-day visit — seven separate agreements and memorandums of understanding — would boost its struggling economy.
Pakistan laid on a lavish welcome for the crown prince, including a 21-gun salute, fighter jet escort and honor guard.
He also received the nation’s highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan), before leaving to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
MBS is staging a three-country Asian tour just five months after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a fierce critic, at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul ignited a diplomatic crisis.
After India, he is expected to finish with two days in China on Thursday and Friday.
Analysts have said the tour is part of a Gulf pivot to rising Asia as a growing oil market, but also a timely demonstration to the West that MBS is not an international pariah.
Pakistan has also been accused by its western neighbor Iran of harboring militants who carried out an attack that killed 27 Revolutionary Guards last week.
The guards’ commander has also vowed to make Pakistan pay.
However, Islamabad received a boost from al-Jubeir, who called Tehran a “chief sponsor of terrorism” during yesterday’s live press conference.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a long alliance dating back to the founding of the Islamic republic.
However, Islamabad has also tried to walk a fine line by maintaining warm relations with Iran.
Al-Jubeir added that Riyadh continues to participate in a months-long push by Washington for peace talks in Afghanistan, saying that if the war-torn country can be stabilized “it will be to benefit ... the region as a whole.”
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