Are you with us? Saudi asks Pak

Islamabad: “Are you with us or with Qatar?” Saudi King Salman raised this question during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had visited the Gulf Kingdom for finding a diplomatic solution to the Qatar crisis.

The Saudi monarch asked Mr Sharif to take a clear position on Qatar during their meeting in Jeddah on Monday, The Express Tribune reported, citing diplomatic sources.

“Pakistan has told Saudi Arabia it will not take sides in the brewing diplomatic crisis in the Middle East after Riyadh asked Islamabad ‘are you with us or with Qatar’,” the paper said.

Pakistan has been treading a careful path since Saudi and other Gulf countries snapped diplomatic ties with Qatar after accusing the oil-rich country of supporting terrorist groups. But Saudi wanted Pakistan to side with the kingdom, it said.

Citing a senior government official, who was briefed on the talks at the monarch’s palace in Jeddah, the paper said that Pakistan would not take sides in any event that would create divisions within the Muslim world.

“Nevertheless, in order to placate Saudi Arabia, Pakistan offered to use its influence over Qatar to defuse the situation. For this purpose, the prime minister will undertake visits to Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey,” it said.

Mr Sharif, accompanied by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other senior officials, travelled to Jeddah on Monday to discuss the emerging situation in the Gulf world. Mr Sharif’s mediation visit to Saudi did not achieve any immediate breakthrough.

Mr Sharif met King Salman in Jeddah and urged an early resolution of the impasse in Gulf in the best interest of all Muslims.

Saudi Press Agency said King Salman and Mr Sharif discussed the “latest regional developments” in addition to bilateral relations. King Salman told Mr Sharif “the fight against extremism and terrorism is in the interest of all Muslims and the Ummah”.

The SPA, while announcing the severing of relations with Qatar, had said it had been done for “protection of national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism”.

Qatar, meanwhile, has indicated that it was willing to address concerns of the countries that ended diplomatic relations with it.