Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir’s visit to Islamabad delayed

The Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir will arrive in Islamabad on Sunday (tomorrow) for a two-day official visit to hold important meetings with Pakistani leadership.

The FO first announced the postponement, saying the change had come at Saudi Arabia’s request, but did not provide a reason for the delay.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said he was surprised to read the news that Saudi Arabia had named Pakistan as part of the group but the foreign office confirmed participation in the coalition.

Angry protesters on Sunday stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in reaction to the execution and equated Riyadh’s action with Islamic State’s killings in the Middle East. “In this situation, it was not appropriate for the Saudi foreign minister to travel to Islamabad“, said one diplomatic source.

Saudi FM had to meet top ranked Pakistani leadership to discuss on different aspects of bilateral relations and regional and worldwide issues of mutual interest. After initial confusion, Pakistan announced its participation in the alliance but said the scope of its participation was yet to be decided.

Islamabad had already taken policy stance previous year distanced itself from any direct engagement of its armed forces overseas after Riyadh sought its military aid against Houthi rebels in Yemen, making it clear to Saudi government that Pakistan will respond with all its means in case of any direct threat to KSA’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.