ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa on Monday spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman by telephone.

“His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has received a phone call from Chief of the Pakistani Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.

“During the call, the Chief of the Pakistani Army was reassured about the health of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,” according to the Saudi statement.

King Salman, 86, was on May 8 admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah for undergoing medical tests.

MbS thanked Gen Bajwa for his “sincere feelings”.

The telephone conversation took place against the backdrop of Pakistan’s aggravating economic crisis. Islamabad wants Riyadh to double its $4 billion assistance package, which includes the oil facility.

The Saudi assistance, if materialises, could provide a lifeline to the struggling government, whose future increasingly looks uncertain because of economic crisis.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited Saudi Arabia last month, had asked the Saudi leadership to double the oil financing facility and additional deposits for dealing with economic challenges, including high inflation, sliding foreign exchange reserves, a widening current account deficit and a depreciating currency.

The statement did not say if the two discussed Pakistan’s expectation about financial assistance. It only said that during the call, the two leaders reviewed cooperation in the military field between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Ill omens
Updated 12 Feb, 2025

Ill omens

One wonders whether institutional leadership realises the long-term ramifications of the ongoing "remaking" of judiciary.
Sunken dreams
12 Feb, 2025

Sunken dreams

ANOTHER tragedy has struck Pakistani migrants seeking a better future. A boat capsizing off the Libyan coast has ...
Hate in India
12 Feb, 2025

Hate in India

HISTORY shows that rulers use hate speech to provoke hate crimes and ‘othering’ among communities. Indian Prime...
IMF scrutiny
Updated 11 Feb, 2025

IMF scrutiny

Strengthening foundations of the economic superstructure will help make the economy competitive and boost growth.
Shadow voices
11 Feb, 2025

Shadow voices

OVER the weekend, another ‘open letter’ addressed to the army chief and attributed to former prime minister ...
Paradise at a premium
11 Feb, 2025

Paradise at a premium

PAKISTAN’S recent triumph at the New York Travel and Adventure Show 2025, winning the Best Partner Pavilion Award,...