After Iranian sanctions were lifted, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday left for a five-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
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Besides Pakistan, other countries, including Russian Federation and China, have voiced readiness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Premier Nawaz Sharif planned to fly to Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
Relations between the two sides turned acrimonious recently, after protesters ransacked and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Teheran, following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric. In the sense that Saudi back madrasahs are known to be a hotbed of terrorist ideology and recruitment, reports of Pakistan’s going to fight in the wars in in Syria or to join Isis grow by the day and are well known. Sharif called for a resolution “in the larger interest of Ummah”, referring to the Arabic word for the broader Muslim community. Riyadh fears the agreement will only further embolden Iran, which it accuses of regional interference.
General Raheel also held a meeting with the Saudi defence minister soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan also wants to show Saudi Arabia it remains supportive after refusing to assist the kingdom’s bombing campaign on Shiite rebels in Yemen.
Diplomats have said it remained unclear how that coalition will work in practice. Members of the Saudi Cabinet were present at the meeting.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived at Riyadh Monday to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz in a bid to defuse tensions between the brotherly countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is greeted on his arrival in Tehran.
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, National Security Advisor Nasir Khan Janjua and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi accompanied the Prime Minister.
A list of points has been given to the Pakistani leadership for discussion with Iran’s leadership, said diplomatic sources. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi congratulated all sides on the “solid step forward to the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue” and reminded the world that China “played a constructive role throughout the negotiation process”.
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Sharif’s trip to Saudi Arabia follows the visit of both the Saudi foreign minister and deputy crown prince to Islamabad last week, underlining the closeness of the relationship between the two states.
