Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan started a two-day visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday, a close ally of his country, although relations between them have been tense for months. The Saudi Press Agency reported that Khan's visit comes in response to an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It added, "The two-day visit will address important files, in addition to reviewing the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and ways to support and enhance them, as well as discussing a number of developments in regional and international issues of mutual interest."
Saudi Arabia had lent Pakistan three billion dollars and provided credit facilitation for oil purchases amounting to 3.2 billion dollars in late 2018. Islamabad sought Riyadh's support concerning human rights violations it claimed India is committing in the disputed Kashmir region, which led Saudi Arabia to pressure Pakistan to repay the loan. At that time, Pakistan turned to China for financial assistance.
Before Khan's arrival, the Pakistani army stated that Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia and held talks with the Crown Prince early on Friday. The statement mentioned, "The meeting addressed matters of mutual interest, the regional security situation including recent developments in the Afghan peace process, as well as bilateral relations in defense and security cooperation for achieving peace and connectivity in the region."
