The Ripple Effects of the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s Visit to Pakistan
The Saudi crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman arrived in Islamabad on Sunday evening amidst much fanfare and hype. His visit came at a time when both neighbouring countries of Iran and India have been pointing their fingers towards Pakistan as the main culprit for Terror in the region. Two suicide bomb blasts either side of the border and a day cut short by the Prince’s envoy, led many to believe that Pakistan is going down the road of International isolation once again.
This isolation or the cold shoulder by the world is a natural step after such incidents but in this case the Saudi Crown Prince, who is known by his initials MBS to the world, (fresh off from his own cold shouldered scandal, the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashougi) decided on extending a hand to Pakistan. A country which had earlier abstained from extending their when sending an army to Yemen was in question.
The world situation aside, MBS, came to Pakistan with the plan to invest and recreate that warm and fuzzy feeling the two states have shared with each other prior to the Yemen snub. Keeping in lieu with the atmosphere of friendship and trust, The Pakistani Prime Minister went to receive the Crown Prince himself. The pictures have since gone viral of the Pakistani premiere driving the Crown Prince to the PM house for a Gala thrown in his (MBS’s) honour.
During the speeches which followed the fine dining event, Imran Khan reminded his guest of the bond the two countries share and also due to that bond how it would be extremely gracious of him to consider elevating the living conditions of the Pakistani labourers and prisoners languishing in the Kingdom. The Prime Minister further eluded that the people who go to Saudi Arabia have a lot riding on them as they provide whole households with sustenance through the money earned whilst working in the Kingdom.
The Crown Prince duly obliged by calling himself the Pakistani Ambassador in Saudi Arabia and then went further in asserting that claim by announcing to release over 2000 Pakistani prisoners languishing in Saudi Jails. This move had since been heralded by the pro and anti-government elements alike, a rare bipartisan moment in the country which is bitterly divided by vague notion of politics and party affiliations.
Pakistan bestowed it’s highest civilian honour on the crown prince and further emphasized the need for persistent support. In return the De-Facto Saudi ruler over saw the signings of unprecedented investment deals worth around an estimated figure of $ 20 Billion. The MOU’s were signed by the delegations at Islamabad on Monday. MBS further laid the claim that Pakistan is to be a very important state in the future outlining the strategic importance of the state in the eyes of the kingdom as it goes forward with its own era of change.
"We believe in our region that's why we are investing in it and we believe that we are going to have one day a great Middle East surrounded by Pakistan from the east side," MBS said.
The fact that such a large number of monetary investments have been discussed and signed on, bodes well for the crippling economy of the country and gives Imran Khan and his cabinet some breathing space to manoeuvre the funds and not rush to the IMF. This further illustrates how the Saudi leadership is desperate to rework its image after the blotch that it received owing to the murder of the Saudi journalist in their consulate in Turkey.
Following his visit to Pakistan MBS travels to India next, as part of his ongoing tour of Asia.
