Dubai: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accompanied by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Bajwa on Monday left for Saudi Arabia on a day-long visit in the backdrop of a deepening diplomatic rift in the Middle East, a media report said.
Sharif is expected to hold talks with Saudi leadership centered on deteriorating relations between Gulf nations after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Ahead of his visit, Sharif called a meeting of the country’s top envoys from Gulf countries to discuss the Saudi-Qatar rift.
Pakistani ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz attended the conference on Monday.
Pakistan has “good” ties with Gulf countries and has volunteered to help resolve the crisis.
Pakistan has rejected as “fabricated and baseless” reports that it plans to deploy its troops in Qatar amid diplomatic tensions in the Middle East.
The Saudi-led alliance is demanding that Qatar distance itself from Iran and stop funding Islamist groups. Qatar denies sponsoring terrorism and accuses the Saudis of seeking to dominate smaller neighbours.
The unprecedented measures have prompted investors and economists to ponder how long Qatar, the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, can weather the pressure without having to devalue its currency or sell any of its global assets.
Meanwhile, FIFA removed a Qatari referee from a World Cup qualifier at request of United Arab Emirates.
The world governing body of football removed a Qatari referee from a 2018 World Cup qualifier at the request of the United Arab Emirates for “sporting reasons and in view of the current geopolitical situation” in the area.
Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, has been accused of funding terrorism by several Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE.
A referee from Singapore, assisted by another Singaporean and two officials from Malaysia, will replace the Qatari official.
