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.

KABUL : Afghanistan on Sunday approached United Nations Security Council on Pakistan’s engagements with Taliban, complaining that it undermines ongoing peace efforts.

Kabul said the previously unscheduled talks in Islamabad on Monday violates Afghanistan’s sovereignty and the UNSC Resolution 1988 of 2011 that had imposed sanctions on Taliban. Pakistan had invited Taliban to hold talks with officials including Prime Minister Imran Khan. The talks take place as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman wraps up a two-day visit to Islamabad on Monday.

Previously scheduled talks between Taliban and US officials are slated for February 25 in Qatar. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are Gulf enemies.

In a letter to the UNSC, Afghanistan’s mission to the UN said that Pakistan’s invitation to the Taliban amounted to a violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty. As there was no coordination with the Afghan government, it poses a serious threat to Afghanistan’s security. “The Taliban members were sanctioned by provisions of the UN Security Council s 1988 Committee’s sanctions regime,” it added.

Former president Hamid Karzai had said the Pakistan talks risk engulfing Afghanistan in regional rivalries.