New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Saudi Arabia has ended a loan and oil supply to Pakistan due to Islamabad's criticism that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is led by Saudi, was not doing enough to pressure India on the Kashmir issue.
Pakistan was recently forced to repay a Saudi loan of USD 1 billion that the kingdom called in after Islamabad insisted it be allowed to lead the OIC’s support for Kashmir.
The loan was part of a USD 6.2 billion package announced by Saudi Arabia in November 2018, which included a total of USD 3 billion in loans and an oil credit facility amounting to USD 3.2 billion.
Relations between the two countries started to break down when Riyadh turned down Islamabad’s request to convene a special meeting of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
Pakistan has been pushing for the foreign ministers' meeting of the OIC since India abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's remarks against the Organisation of Islamic Conference led by Saudi Arabia for its so called inaction on the Kashmir issue has strained the relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
A Pakistan diplomatic source confirmed that Saudi Arabia had shown reluctance to accept Islamabad's request for an immediate meeting of OIC foreign ministers' on Kashmir, according to a report published in a Pakistan daily 'Dawn'.
Pakistan continued to demand that the OIC use its role to help Kashmir, with Mr Qureshi stating in an interview with a Pakistani news channel last week that 'I am once again respectfully telling OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation.”
He went further by warning that Pakistan would be forced to take it into its own hands, saying that 'If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir ......'
Mr Qureshi insisted that the OIC, which consists of 57 member states, must 'show leadership on the issue.'
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have historically had strong bilateral relations in the financial, trade and military sectors, making the increased tensions between the two countries a concern for many and particularly for Pakistan, which has been undergoing a financial crisis over the past few years.
UNI RSA SHK1759