Pulwama shadow on Saudi prince’s Pak visit

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday kicked off his tour of South Asia and China with a high-profile visit to Pakistan, but the trip risks being overshadowed by escalating tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.

The visit comes days after a suicide bomber killed at least 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. New Delhi has accused Pakistan of having a hand in the bombing and vowed to punish Islamabad, which denies involvement.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan’s army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa welcomed the crown prince on the red carpet of a military airport in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. As part of a grandiose welcome for the Saudi delegation, Pakistan also sent fighter jets to guide the incoming plane of Prince Mohammed.

The Saudi Crown Prince signed agreements with Pakistan worth $20 billion, Saudi-owned Arabiya TV reported.

He had also planned to visit Indonesia and Malaysia during the tour, but those trips have been postponed, according to Malaysian and Indonesian officials. No reasons were given for the postponements or alternative dates for the tour. The crown prince will, however, visit India.

The tour is seen as an attempt by the crown prince to rebuild his reputation after the murder of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, analysts say.