ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (today) on the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

It will be the first visit of Mr Khan to a foreign country after taking charge of the office of prime minister. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood.

Prime Minister Khan will call on King Salman and hold a bilateral meeting with the crown prince. The Saudi king will host a state banquet for the prime minister at the Royal Court. Accompanying ministers will meet their counterparts and discuss bilateral cooperation.

During the visit, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) secretary general Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al Othaimeen will also call on the prime minister.

Mr Khan will perform Umra and will also pay a visit to Madina.

Imran-led four-member delegation will also pay a visit to UAE

Later, Prime Minister Khan along with his delegation will reach Abu Dhabi on the evening of Sept 19 where they will be received by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the UAE. The PM is visiting the UAE on the invitation of the crown prince. The two will discuss issues of mutual interest.

British home secretary

Meanwhile, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Khan on Monday. The PM expressed satisfaction over the current direction of bilateral relations and expressed the hope that the two countries would further strengthen this into a multi-faceted strategic partnership. He acknowledged the UK’s development assistance that had positively impacted Pakistan’s socio-economic sectors.

They also discussed a wide range of issues of common interest, including counterterrorism, organised crime, human trafficking, money laundering and asset recovery.

The British official said his government was willing to support and extend full cooperation to the government of Pakistan in these areas. He also underscored the need for enhancing cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Mr Javid is on a two-day visit to Islamabad and Lahore. He also held a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The two sides discussed various areas of regional and bilateral cooperation.

The foreign minister stressed on the need to expand Pakistan-UK cooperation and translate the existing ties into a tangible and multi-faceted strategic partnership. He appreciated the Department of International Development’s contribution to the development of socio-economic sectors in Pakistan.

The British home secretary conveyed his government’s desire to support and work closely with the new government in all areas of mutual interest.

The two countries closely cooperate under the institutional framework of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2018