Pakistan won't undermine Saudi interests, PM Imran assures MBS.

Byline: Kamran Yousaf

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan has assured Saudi Arabia it will not become part of any initiative, which might undermine the kingdom's interests, as Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 - seen as an alternative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Riyadh is believed to have been upset with the event being hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and likely to be attended by leaders from Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

The absence of Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies at the meeting, to be convened from Dec 18 to 21, and the presence of Turkey, Qatar and Iran - with whom Riyadh doesn't have good relations - have raised eyebrows with observers seeing it as a move to create a new Islamic bloc.

The objectives of the event include finding new and workable solutions for problems afflicting the Muslim world, and contributing towards improving the state of affairs of Muslims and Muslim nations.

The Malaysian prime minister has publicly stated that the Kuala Lumpur initiate offers an alternative to the OIC, which many believe has failed to project Muslims' perspective in the face of multiple challenges. But Riyadh feels such a bloc would undermine its role in the Islamic world.

Against this backdrop, there have been a flurry of visits by the Pakistani civil and military leadership to Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies.

Within days of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's visit to the Saudi capital, Premier Imran dashed to Riyadh for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud. This was his fourth visit to the kingdom since May but it came in view of the concerns expressed by Saudi Arabia over Pakistan's acceptance of the Kuala Lumpur summit invite.

While the prime minister was in Riyadh, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in what appears to be a coordinated move to assuage the apprehensions of the Arab leaders regarding the Malaysia gathering.

A senior Foreign Office official told The Express Tribune that the prime minister has assured the Saudi leadership that Pakistan would not become part of any new Islamic bloc if it works against Saudi interests.

'On the contrary, our approach is to work for unity among all Muslim states,' said the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. He said the prime minister has conveyed the same message to the Saudi leadership.

The official pointed...