Preparations finalised for Saudi Crown Prince's visit

Five trucks full of Saudi Crown Prince’s personal amenities also arrived in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Preparations have been completed for the forthcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s two-day visit to Pakistan from February 16.

According to Dunya News, BMW 7 Series and Land cruisers arrived Pakistan for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

Sources said that the Crown Prince’s luggage consisting of eight containers was transported to Pakistan on two C130 airplanes, while 750 rooms in eight hotels have been booked for the royal family.

Besides this, five trucks full of Saudi Crown Prince’s personal amenities also arrived in Islamabad that include his exercise equipment, furniture and other personal belongings.

A delegation comprising of 40 members including members of the Saudi Royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen is expected to accompany MBS on the visit, while the hotel owners have been ordered to cancel all other bookings.

This will be the first state-level visit of the dignitary to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of the Crown Prince in April 2017.

Prince Salman will be given guard of honour by Sherdils squadron of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) while JF-17 Thunder fighter jets will present fly past upon his arrival in the country.

During the visit, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman holds important portfolios in the Kingdom s government, including the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and the Defense Minister.

The Crown Prince will call on the President. He will also meet the Prime Minister and the Chief of Army Staff. A delegation of Pakistan s Senate will also call on the Crown Prince to discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

The Saudi Ministers accompanying the Crown Prince will meet their counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation in their respective fields. The businessmen of the two countries will also meet to discuss opportunities of collaboration in private sector.

During his stay, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be signing a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors, including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture and sports.

The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.

Security Measures

Strict security measures have also been finalized for the Pakistan visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

According to the plan, mobile phone service will remain closed in parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi while more than 100 check points will be established on different routes.

During the stay of the Prince, training flights will be suspended whereas flying drones will also be prohibited.

Teams of security, media and doctors of Mohammed bin Salman have already reached Islamabad. Besides this, five trucks full of Saudi Crown Prince’s personal amenities also arrived in Islamabad that include his exercise equipment, furniture and other personal belongings.

Around $20 billion Investment

Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan is likely to bring $20 billion investment in the country.

According to sources, deals with Saudi Arabia have been finalized to get oil on loan. Saudi Arabia will provide oil worth $3 billion to Pakistan for three years. Furthermore, meetings will be held with Mohammed bin Salman to hand over two power plants based on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Saudi Arabia, with an expected investment of $2 billion. Saudi Arabia is also interested to invest $6 billion in Gwadar oil refinery.

The refinery and oil complex in the strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea is the ultimate destination for the massive multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which lies not far from the Indo-Iranian port of Chabahar.

The visit comes just weeks after Pakistan rolled out the red carpet for Abu Dhabi s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, shortly after the emirate pledged to provide $3 billion to support Pakistan s battered economy.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- Islamabad s biggest trading partner in the Middle East -- have offered Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan some $30 billion in investment and loans.

Pakistan has been courting its Gulf allies for months as Khan s new government desperately seeks to stave off an ongoing balance of payments crisis and reduce the size of any potential bailout from the International Monetary Fund.