PM condemns attack on Saudi oil facilities – Newspaper

ISLAMABAD: Prior to his planned visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Imran Khan made a phone call to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman, and strongly condemned the drone attacks at the oil processing facilities and the field Saudi oil tanker.

The Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia was confirmed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during his speech at a multi-party conference on the issue of Kashmir organized by the ruling PTI in Lahore.

“We have important sessions there. Keeping those sessions at the forefront, we will have to deliberate on new measures. I think it's enough to say this right now, ”the minister said.

The prime minister will have a stopover in Saudi Arabia while traveling to the United States, where he plans to address the UN General Assembly next week.

An official statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said Prime Minister Imran Khan made a phone call to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to strongly condemn drone attacks at Saudi Arabia's oil processing facilities and the oil field that caused material damage and disruption of operations.

"The prime minister expressed deep concern over attempts to disturb the peaceful environment in the region through such attacks," the official statement said. He said the prime minister expressed his solidarity with the sister people of Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.

Saturday's attack on Saudi oil facilities has caused the closure of five percent of global oil production. The United States has been blaming Iran for this attack, which was claimed by the Houthis of Yemen, while the Iranian government has denied participation.

According to a brochure issued by the Prime Minister's Office, the Chinese ambassador to Islamabad Yao Jing called Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday.

“He conveyed President Xi Jinping's best wishes to the prime minister on his next birthday. The message of the Chinese president described the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan as "solid as a rock" and reiterated the resolution to build a closer China-Pakistan community of a shared future in the new era, "the booklet reads.

Posted on Dawn, September 18, 2019