Saudi prince frees 2,100 Pakistanis

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered the release of about 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from the kingdom’s jails during a high-profile visit to Islamabad, Pakistan’s information minister said on Monday.

Prince Mohammed arrived in Pakistan on Sunday at the beginning of an Asian tour, which will include China. It is seen as an attempt by him to rebuild his reputation after the murder of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed investment agreements with Pakistan worth $20bn.

The crown prince had “ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners”, after a request by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia has yet to comment on the Pakistani announcement.

The fate of thousands of Pakistanis locked up in jails across the Middle East is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where there is a perception that the prisoners are mostly poor labourers who have no real legal recourse.

Huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to the Middle East every year, with many working on construction sites or as domestic helpers. The remittances they send back are vital for Pakistan’s dollar-starved economy.

SAUDI ARABIA HAS HELPED TO KEEP PAKISTAN’S ECONOMY AFLOAT BY PROPPING UP RAPIDLY DWINDLING FOREIGN RESERVES

The crown prince’s visit marks a deepening of ties between allies whose relationship has in the past centred on Saudi Arabia backing Pakistan’s economy during difficult periods, and Pakistan’s powerful army lending support to Saudi Arabia and its royal family.

As the guardians of most holy sites in the birthplace of Islam, the Saudi royal family has vast religious influence in Pakistan, a staunchly conservative and mostly Muslim country of 208million people.

Saudi Arabia has in recent months helped to keep Pakistan’s economy afloat by propping up rapidly dwindling foreign reserves with a $6bn loan, giving it breathing room as it negotiates an IMF bailout.

Pakistan has shown appreciation by treating Prince Mohammed’s trip as the biggest state visit since one by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, soon after Beijing announced plans to invest tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure in Pakistan as part of China’s Belt and Road initiative.

Meanwhile, AFP reported that Pakistan is to confer its highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, on the Saudi crown prince on Monday.