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By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
**ISLAMABAD, June 12 (APD) ** -- A high-level delegation of Pakistan led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday reached Saudi Arabia to play its role to resolve ongoing Middle East crises, an official statement said.
PM Sharif accompanied by Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and other senior officials was received by Governor Makkah Prince Fysal bin Abdul Aziz in Jaddah city of Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement released on Monday, the PM is visiting the Kingdom “in context of the emergent situation among GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries”.
PM Sharif is expected to hold talks with the Saudi leadership on the latest situation developing among the GCC countries, the statement said.
Earlier, the PM said Pakistan will do all it can to amicably resolve the diplomatic crisis in the Arabian Gulf and is also expected to fly to Qatar and Kuwait in this connection also.
Earlier in the day, PM Sharif chaired an emergency meeting of Pakistani envoys posted in the Middle East countries to discuss the GCC-Arab crisis.
The envoys briefed the PM and the delegation about the situation and assisted them formulating a strategy.
Last week, Arab powers, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, took the unprecedented decision to cut off their air, sea and land links to Qatar, accusing Doha of sponsoring terrorism.
Following the announcement by the most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar denied the allegations and said it is ready for talks on ending the dispute.
The brewing crisis in the Gulf has put Pakistan in an awkward situation as the country doesn’t want to be part of any camp.
Besides strong political and religious relations, Pakistan has close economic cooperation with Gulf countries that are home to millions of Pakistanis who significantly contribute to the country’s economy in the form of foreign remittances.
According to some reports, a six-member Qatari delegation visited Pakistan last week and communicated a message from the Qatari rulers asking Pakistan to play a positive role in resolving the crises.
On Sunday, Pakistan rejected foreign media reports which claim that Pakistan plans to send 20,000 troops to Qatar in the wake of a deepening diplomatic crises in the Middle East.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said those reports were “fabricated and baseless” and were part of a “malicious campaign” seeking to drive a wedge between Pakistan and its Gulf allies.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
