ISLAMABAD, 19 October 2003 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, was showered with rose petals by Pakistanis lined up along a road from the airport at the start of his two-day visit to Pakistan yesterday.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali received Abdullah at the airport, a special honor and a departure from protocol for welcoming a foreign dignitary. The leaders normally receive visitors at their official residences in the capital, Islamabad.
State-run Pakistan Television ran live coverage of Abdullah’s arrival, showing crowds of people lining up on both sides of the road leading to Islamabad.
The crown prince was driven to President House, where he held formal talks with President Musharraf on further strengthening economic and political co-operation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s relations with arch-rival India, the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the possibility of sending Pakistani troops to Iraq are also likely to feature in the talks.
President Musharraf welcomed the crown prince to Pakistan and commended Saudi Arabia’s “courageous stand” on Muslim issues as well as its support for Muslims all over the world. He also noted Riyadh’s moderate policy, keeping away from fanaticism and terrorism, and condemned what he called the Zionist media campaign against the Kingdom.
Crown Prince Abdullah last visited Pakistan in 1998 after Pakistan conducted its nuclear test. The present visit comes in the wake of the OIC summit in Malaysia, which focused on terrorism and relations between Islam and the West.
Prince Abdullah, who is accompanied by seven Cabinet ministers including Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, will meet with Jamali and several members of his Cabinet today.
“The focus of the talks is going to be on the problems faced by the Muslim world and Saudi-Pakistan economic cooperation and political relations,” a senior official told Arab News.
Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz said the visit was likely to lead to increased trade between the two countries and increase Saudi investment in Pakistan. “We are already seeing a lot of inflow from the Saudi Development Fund into infrastructure-related projects in,” the minister told reporters.
Senior officials said that the talks between the leadership of two countries would focus on issues including Iraq and Middle East security.
The foreign ministers of two countries will address a joint press conference this morning.
Today the crown prince will also visit a defense exhibition in Islamabad.
