Saudi Crown Prince Arranges Special Plane For Pakistan PM’s US Visit

By Saima Shabbir

Imran Khan’s media adviser on Sunday praised the “magnanimity” of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for arranging a special plane to fly Pakistan’s prime minister to New York.

Khan “went to Saudi Arabia on a commercial flight,” and the crown prince “offered a special plane to him for his travel from Saudi Arabia to the US,” Iftikhar Durrani told Arab News.

Khan began his week-long visit to the US on Saturday to attend the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) and participate in a host of other activities, including a meeting with President Donald Trump. Khan and the crown prince “have chemistry,” said Durrani. “They like each other.”

International relations expert Dr. Mussarrat Amin told Arab News: “Khan’s earlier visit to the US was also arranged by the crown prince, which produced positive results for Pakistan.”

Amin said Saudi Arabia is in a position to help Pakistan in its diplomatic engagements with the Trump administration, which is why Khan visited the Kingdom before flying to New York.

“The Saudis can influence the US to play a mediatory role between Pakistan and India. People in Pakistan expect great things from the Kingdom when it comes to the Kashmir issue,” Amin added. The Pakistani and Indian prime ministers are scheduled to address the UNGA on Sept. 27.

Former Pakistani Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi said the crown prince’s gesture shows the warmth between the two countries, and Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia ahead of his US trip was significant.

Khan “reached out to the crown prince to stop the escalation of the situation in this region due to India’s actions in Kashmir,” Naqvi told Arab News.