Pakistan confers highest civilian honour on Saudi Crown Prince

Islamabad, Feb. 18 (IANS): Pakistan on Monday conferred its highest civilian honour on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the end of his two-day visit to the South Asian country.

President Arif Alvi awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan to Mohammad Bin Salman, also known as MBS, acknowledging his outstanding support for revitalizing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace and was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa among others. It was telecast live on the state-run television and was held a day after the Crown Prince announced multi-billion dollar investments in Pakistan.

The Saudi delegation travelling with the Crown Prince signed seven trade agreements on Sunday and $20 billion investment deals in areas including mining, petrol and renewable energy.

The Saudi royal said the relationship between the two countries was based on the principle of Islamic solidarity. He met Alvi and Gen. Bajwa before the ceremony to discuss Pakistan’s role in peace talks between the US and the Afghan Taliban.

Bin Salman’s Pakistan trip came as his global image took a hit after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October at the kingdom’s Embassy in Istanbul.