Pak PM Shahbaz will not desist from asking, offers bowl in front of Saudi

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has started preparing to beg with a bowl in his second term. A phone call that came 12 days after taking oath as PM has increased Shahbaz Sharif’s expectations even more. This phone belonged to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman assured newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of full support for Pakistan, which is going through difficult economic times. Riyadh has supported cash-strapped Pakistan in recent years by accumulating and rolling over large amounts of greenbacks to shore up the country’s low foreign reserves. Earlier, Saudi Arabia had withdrawn its deposits of US$3 billion in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for another year till the end of December 2024.

According to a statement from the PM Office, Prime Minister Shahbaz received congratulatory telephone calls from the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince thanked the Prime Minister for his kind sentiments. He said the two countries enjoy close fraternal relations and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Pakistan. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan is proud of its historical, deep and fraternal relations with Saudi Arabia and both the countries have always stood together in thick and thin. He praised Saudi Arabia for its unwavering commitment and support towards Pakistan.

The Prime Minister also expressed his warm wishes and prayers for the health and well-being of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. He said that the people of Pakistan have great love and respect for His Majesty as well as the Crown Prince. Shehbaz Sharif posted on The call came just days after Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed al-Malki met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on March 11 and conveyed the full support of the Saudi leadership to the prime minister, while inviting him to visit Saudi Arabia. Had given assurance.