The Foreign.Office on Monday. said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan has been postponed.
FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed the development to the media, adding that the new date of his visit would be announced soon.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that the crown prince would soon be visiting Pakistan and that he had expressed willingness to support development projects in the country, including an announcement for a $10 billion investment for establishing an oil refinery.
Earlier, during the scheduled visit, Pakistan hoped to get a $4.2 billion bailout package from Riyadh, according to diplomatic sources.
The Saudi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan was tentatively scheduled for Nov 21.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s special security detail was expected to reach Islamabad by the end of this week. The special security detail to review the security arrangements for final approval.
Moreover, Riyadh is also expected to make solid investments in Islamabad. Several Pakistan-Saudi petroleum accords are being finalized for signing during the Saudi prime minister’s visit, sources said.
The government is also expecting financial support from Saudi Arabia for setting up a state-of-the-art refinery in Gwadar, which will be built at a cost of $10 billion. The refinery will be co-financed by Saudi Arabia and China.
