With India ramping up efforts to isolate Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, Islamabad pulled out all the stops on Sunday to show the world it still has friends.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, often regarded to be the de facto ruler of the oil-rich monarchy, was awarded a uncharacteristically grand welcome when he arrived in Islamabad late on Sunday night. The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan broadcast video of Chinese-designed JF-17 and US-origin F-16 fighters of the Pakistan Air Force escorting the aircraft of Salman as it entered Pakistan airspace.
Chinese President Xi Jinping got a similar fighter escort when he visited Pakistan in 2015.
Salman was received by Khan and senior ministers and government officials, including Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at a military airport in Rawalpindi. In a break from protocol, Khan himself drove a Mercedes Benz car carrying Salman to the Prime Minister's House. Interestingly, Khan made the same gesture of driving Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan when he arrived in Pakistan in January.
A massive portrait of Salman, which was nearly 120ft tall, was installed outside the Pakistan Parliament.
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Salman has been accompanied by a delegation of Saudi officials and businessmen on his two-day visit. Saudi Arabia has already signed investment deals worth $20 billion in Pakistan. There were worries in the Pakistan government that Salman's visit would be cancelled in the wake of the spike in tension between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack. While Saudi Arabia has condemned the Pulwama attack, the visit was not called off. Salman is scheduled to visit India next.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have had close economic and strategic ties for decades. Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of efforts to assist Pakistan in its ongoing balance of payments crisis.