'Pakistan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Saudi Arabia'

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has reaffirmed the Pakistani commitment to safeguard territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia_ saying  Pakistan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the kingdom. He said this while meeting Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki_ who called on him in Islamabad on Monday_ according to a Foreign Office statement. Qureshi said both the countries enjoy deep and historic relations_ adding that the sanctity of the holy sites in Saudi Arabia is part of every Muslim s faith. He also condemned the missile and drone attacks launched by Houthi militia towards the kingdom. The foreign minister said he was eager to meet Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman and Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud during their upcoming visit to Pakistan. Qureshi said a large number of Pakistanis have been living in Saudi Arabia and playing their due role in the progress and development of the country. Pakistan expected the Saudi government to provide jobs to the laid off Pakistani workers following improvement in Covid-19 situation_ he added. The meeting comes amid Pakistan attempts to mend relationships with its long-time ally which soared in recent times. Last week_ Qureshi had said that Pakistan s relations with Saudi Arabia were as strong as ever_ rubbishing talks of the latter demanding debt payment as speculation. Earlier this month_ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa also met with Saudi military leadership and discussed military-to-military ties_ training exchanges in efforts to calm diplomatic strains between the two countries over Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK). Saudi and Pakistan typically share strong ties_ and in 2018 Saudi Arabia loaned $3 billion to Pakistan as well as oil credit worth $3.2 billion to assist with the balance of payments crisis. Earlier this month_ Pakistan returned $1 billion of the $3 billion debt owed to Saudia Arabia to avoid default on international debt obligations after the kingdom decided to reduce its financial support_ according to highly placed sources.