Published 10:39 IST, October 7th 2019
Pakistan: Journalist exposes Imran Khan's failed diplomacy in the US
Senior Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi alleged that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman was peeved with Pakistan PM Imran Khan's diplomacy in the US.
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According to senior Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi, the Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman was so peeved with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s diplomacy in New York that he ordered the Pakistani delegation to be disembowelled on the way back. Sethi opined Salman took offence at the fact that Khan along with Turkish President Recip Erdogan and Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad gave an impression of forming an Islamic alliance. He also linked the sudden ouster of Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi to this development.
He wrote,” There were some unintended consequences of the trip too. Inexplicably, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, was so alienated by some dimensions of the Pakistani prime minister’s diplomacy in New York – he couldn’t have been happy at the prospect of Imran Khan, Recip Tayyib Erdogan and Mahathir Mohammad planning to jointly represent the Islamic bloc, nor with Pakistan’s interlocution with Iran without his explicit approval — that he visibly snubbed Imran by ordering his private jet to disembowel the Pakistani delegation. Significantly, too, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, lost her job (did Khan’s cronies have anything to do with it?) before the dust of “victory at the UN” had settled.”
‘Pakistan and Saudi Arabia leaders have good relations’
The government of Pakistan was disturbed by these claims made in the article ‘Tryst with democracy’ published in the online publication 'The Friday Times'. On Sunday, it rejected the allegations levelled by Sethi.
A government spokesperson said, "This is a cooked-up story. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia leaders have good relations. There is an attempt to weaken the successful talks between the world leaders and the Prime Minister. Conclusion over the Prime Minister's meeting with Turkey and Malaysia leader was self-made. The report was aimed to strike on the relations of two countries for political motives. We dismiss this report.”
Incidentally, Pakistan did not deny the reports that Khan and other members of his delegation returned back on a commercial plane. At that juncture, it was cited that the private jet provided by the Saudi crown prince had developed a technical fault.
09:40 IST, October 7th 2019