PM and army chief to visit Saudi Arabia, Iran to ease tension

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif will be embarking on a visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran from Monday January 18 to diffuse tension between the two countries that spiralled after the execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.

Official sources confirmed that the top civilian and military leaders would pay a day-long visit to Saudia Arabia on 18th January to meet Saudi King Salman and will discuss with him the latest situation in the Middle East and the kingdom’s relations with Iran.

The sources added that after the trip to Saudi Arabia, the next stopover will be in Tehran where meetings will be held with the top Iranian leadership aimed at defusing tension with its arch rival KSA.

Saudi Arabia and fellow-Sunni Bahrain cut ties with Iran, a few days days after Iranian demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in protest at Riyadh’s execution of Sheikh Nimr.

Saudi Defence Minister Mohammad bin Salman had also visited Islamabad during which Army chief General Raheel Sharif had assured him of a “strong response” to threats to the kingdom’s territorial integrity.