Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a one-day visit to the kingdom. SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a one-day visit to the kingdom. SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a one-day visit to the kingdom. SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a one-day visit to the kingdom. SPA

Pakistan's Khan prays at Prophet's Mosque and meets crown prince on visit to Saudi Arabia


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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on Saturday as he arrived for a short visit to Saudi Arabia to meet senior officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The pair discussed the regional situation and "aspects of joint co-operation", the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Soon after his arrival, Mr Khan travelled to the Prophet’s Mosque where he prayed.

The Pakistani leader then travelled to Riyadh where he was met at the airport by the city’s governor, Prince Faisal bin Bandar.

The Pakistani Foreign Office said the one-day visit was part of “regular exchanges” between the two men.

The visit is the fourth trip by Pakistan’s leader to the kingdom this year.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Riyadh this week to meet his equivalent, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to discuss relations.

Saudi Arabia considers Pakistan to be an important military partner on whom the kingdom has historically relied for training and troops.

Although Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have had good relations for decades, Mr Khan has sought to build closer ties since taking office last year as he looks for assistance from the Gulf region in tackling his country’s dire economic situation.

In February, Prince Mohammed announced $20 billion (Dh73.45bn) in investments into the Pakistani economy, with the possibility for more funds. This followed a $3bn injection to ease Pakistan's financial woes.

When he took office last August, Mr Khan was faced with a balance of payments crisis. The country’s foreign reserves dipped and there were concerns about its ability to cover the cost of imports.

The Pakistani rupee has lost about of a fifth of its value against the dollar since 2017.

Mr Khan won power on a pledge to reform the economy. His 100-day plan involved cracking down on corruption, returning embezzled funds and cutting benefits for government officials.

Mr Khan has also been involved in mediation, including on a recent visit to Iran at the request of US President Donald Trump, amid hopes he could help to defuse tension in the Gulf after a attacks on shipping and strikes on Saudi Aramco oil-processing centres in September.

He held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other high-ranking officials in Tehran.

The purpose of his Iran visit in October, according to Pakistan's government, was to "promote peace and security in the region".

Washington blames Iran for the attacks, a claim Tehran denies.

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

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