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Islamabad, Pakistan – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been awarded Pakistan 's highest civilian honor one day after signing $ 20 billion investment agreements with that country. South Asia.
On the second day of his trip to Pakistan, Prince Mohammed (also known as the MBS) met with President Arif Alvi in Islamabad, the capital, where he received the Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan) at An official ceremony.
Saudi investment agreements came at a key juncture when Pakistan faced a declining economy, an impending balance of payments crisis, and sluggish internal growth.
The Crown Prince, who has considerable influence and power over Saudi politics since becoming the heir in 2017, will also be holding talks with Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed. Bajwa.
The President of Pakistan, Mr. Arif Alvi, hands over the highest civilian award '##; Nishan-e-Pakistan & # 39; to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman
Prime Minister Imran Khan was also present at the ceremony.
????#CrownPrinceinPakistan#Thanks, PMIK and CouronnePrince pic.twitter.com/ue1GaYV1Xl
– Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 18, 2019
General Bajwa is the leader of the powerful Pakistani army, which has ruled the country for about half of its 71 years since the independence of the British.
Pakistan was the first leg of the Crown Prince's tour in three countries. He is expected that he will then go to India and China.
On Sunday, MBS received a red carpet welcome to Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan received him at an air base and personally drove him into the city.
The two leaders held delegation-level meetings and one-on-one meetings, after which they chaired the signing of seven $ 20 billion investment agreements in the oil, gas, oil and gas sectors. petrochemicals, energy production, alternative energy and sports, according to a statement. Statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office.
Orderly release of prisoners
At the end of the talks, Prime Minister Khan asked the MBS to intervene personally to help 2.5 million Pakistanis residing in the Gulf Kingdom overcome their "difficulties". Khan has also called for the release of more than 3,000 Pakistani prisoners currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that the Crown Prince had ordered the "immediate release" of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails.
In March 2018, a Human Rights Watch investigation, based on interviews with 12 Pakistanis detained in Saudi Arabia and family members of other defendants, revealed "widespread violations of the criminal justice and Saudi courts" .
The alleged violations included "long periods of detention without charge or trial, no legal badistance, pressure to sign confessions and to accept predetermined prison terms to avoid prolonged arbitrary detention, as well as ineffective translation services. or pernicious for the accused ".
However, the MBS visit focused mainly on investment agreements providing for the construction of an oil refinery in the port of Gwadar, in southern Pakistan, the acquisition of two power plants by Saudi companies, as well as alternative energy projects and mining. .
Haroon Sharif, head of the Pakistan Investment Bureau, told Al Jazeera Thursday that signing the agreements on Sunday would begin work on the technical feasibility reports for each of these projects in order to finalize the details. Sharif said the process would take at least 18 months.
The inflow of foreign direct investment will be welcomed by Pakistan, whose foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $ 8.2 billion, or enough for two months of imports, and where domestic investment has dried up in the face of the tightening of foreign investment. the economic space.
On Monday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi badured the public that work on the projects would start soon and that implementation would be monitored on an ongoing basis.
"The board [on implementation] has deadlines – it will not be random in its work, "he told reporters in Islamabad, alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair.
"We gave them moments and we told them that they had to implement action plans for a while."
Al-Jubair said Saudi Arabia's investment was a vote of confidence in Pakistan's long-term economic prospects.
"It's not about charity, it's an investment," he said. "There is an advantage for both sides – if we did not believe in Pakistan, we would not make that investment."
During the joint press conference, al-Jubair responded to a question by calling Iran "the main sponsor of terrorism", explaining at length why his government blamed Pakistan's south-west neighbor for "terrorism." attacks around the world.
Pakistan has friendly relations with Iran and Foreign Minister Qureshi had just answered the same question regarding the events that occurred as a result of the attack on an Iranian security convoy claimed by an armed group based in Pakistan stating that he was in contact with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad. Zarif and the two countries worked together.
Pakistani state television has muted the Saudi minister's audio mid-way through his response against Iran, before returning to the press conference after completing his response.
MBS and his delegation will leave Islamabad on Monday to visit India and China, where he will continue his diplomatic efforts under Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" policy, which would allow the Gulf Kingdom to diversify its investments and its bilateral relations around the world. oil agreements.
Asad Hashim is the digital correspondent of Al Jazeera in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim
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