12 June 2017•Update: 13 June 2017
By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Monday for a “consultation” with the Saudi leadership in order to stem a crisis that has seen several Arab countries severing ties with Qatar, officials and local media reported .
Accompanied by the country’s army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, and his foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, Sharif, who enjoys equally good relations with the Saudi and Qatari royal families, will address the “emergent situation among the [Gulf Cooperation Council] GCC countries", state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
The Pakistani premier will meet Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as part of his effort to stem the escalating diplomatic tensions between Qatar and the Saudi-led alliance, a senior Foreign Ministry official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the media due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The official said Sharif has already consulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the issue.
Pakistan’s parliament last week passed a resolution urging the Pakistani government to help mediate the crisis, which could turn out to be disastrous for the regional security and stability.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen last Monday cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. They also imposed a land, sea, and air blockade.
A joint declaration last Thursday accused 59 individuals and 12 charity groups in Qatar of being “linked to terror”. Qatar has called the move "unjustified".
Turkey and Iran have promised Qatar food supplies and troops.
On the diplomatic front, the royal families of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have had close ties with Pakistani leaders.
Sharif, who is serving for the third time as premier, is currently depending heavily on the testimony of former Qatari prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani, as part of his defense in an ongoing investigation against him in the Panama papers scandal.
