Pakistan News: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had come to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) with great expectations, but he was disappointed here. Sharif, who had come to Mecca to perform Umrah, met MBS at Al-Safa Palace, after which a joint statement was also issued. However, in this Saudi Arabia clearly supported India’s stand and asked both the countries to solve their ‘issues’ through mutual dialogue.
According to this joint statement, the discussion between MBS and Sharif focused on strengthening the brotherly relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and finding ways to increase cooperation in various fields. The statement said that they also discussed regional issues including Kashmir.
It said, ‘Both sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, to ensure peace and stability in the region.’
Saudi statement supports India’s stand
New Delhi’s stand has always been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no question of any third party mediation or interference in it. In such a situation, this statement of the Saudi Prince supports India’s stand.
Although both India and Pakistan have had friendly relations with Arab countries including Saudi Arabia for a long time, but during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, relations between New Delhi and Riyadh have become very strong. Perhaps this is the reason why Saudi Arabia has maintained a balanced stance on Jammu and Kashmir this time, while it had expressed concern over the abrogation of Article 370 by India in August 2019. However, even then it did not condemn this move, instead calling it an internal matter of New Delhi.
India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will always remain an integral part of the country”. India has also said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence.
