Riyadh: The prime minister of Saudi Arabia’s long-standing ally Pakistan arrived in the kingdom on Thursday for talks after his parliament refused to send forces to help a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Nawaz Sharif is travelling with a powerful delegation including army chief General Raheel Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other senior officials.
A statement from his office said the one-day trip was to discuss the war in Yemen.
The official Saudi Press Agency said the Pakistanis met King Salman and other top officials including Crown Prince Muqrin, Deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammad Bin Nayef, Defence Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.
SPA gave no details of their discussions.
A Saudi-led coalition conducted a 27-day campaign of air strikes in Yemen aimed at halting the advance of Iran-backed Al Houthi militia and their allies.
On Tuesday night the coalition said it was starting a new phase aiming to resume Yemen’s political process, deliver aid and fight “terrorism”, as air strikes continued.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan has remained ostensibly neutral in the war.
The Al Houthi militia, allied with army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, are fighting forces on the side of coalition-backed President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government has sought refuge in Riyadh.
Pakistan’s parliament earlier this month unanimously voted against complying with Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia’s request for troops, warplanes and ships.
Parliament said Pakistan should instead play a mediating role.
The country has deep military ties with Saudi Arabia.
But it has been reluctant to become ensnared in a conflict with sectarian overtones. Some analysts see Sharif’s trip as an attempt to pacify the Saudi royal family, with whom he has close personal ties after they sheltered him during his years in exile.
