After US-UK sojourns, Caretaker PM Kakar arrives in Saudi Arabia for Umrah

After staying in the United Kingdom following his trip to the United States, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has arrived in Saudi Arabia for a two-day trip.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the premier was received by Madina’s Governor Faisal bin Salman al-Saud upon his arrival.

PM Kakar is expected to pay his respects at the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) in Masjid-e-Nabvi and will also perform Umrah tomorrow (Thursday).

It is expected that during the trip the interim prime minister will also meet high-ranking officials of the Saudi government.

PM Kakar left Pakistan to attend the United Nations General Assembly session on September 17.

In his maiden address to the UN, PM Kakar had urged the global powers to convince India to accept Islamabad's offer of mutually restraining the strategic and conventional weapons, saying that Pakistan seeks peaceful ties with all its neighbours.

"Development depends on peace. Pakistan is situated in the least economically integrated region in the world. Pakistan believes that regions develop together therefore [the country] desires peaceful and productive relations with all neighbours, including India," he had said.

The premier also stressed that the UN resolutions on the Kashmir issue are "the key to peace" between the two nuclear-armed nations.

He had added that the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is one of the oldest agendas at the UN Security Council, but India has continued to evade the implementation of the global forum's resolutions on the dispute.

PM Kakar stayed in the US for six days and then landed in the United Kingdom on September 24. During his stay in the UK, the caretaker premier met British investors and assured them that Pakistan is committed to the $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and will undertake reforms as per its commitment with the global lender.

According to the PM's Office, the prime minister made the assurance during his meeting with “senior leaders of London’s capital and financial market” at the Pakistan House.

The notable investment firms represented at this gathering included Fidelity International Limited (FIL), Wellington Management, Ashmore, Jefferies International, Redwheel Capital, Switex Industrial SA, Oxford Frontier Capital, GuarantCo, JP Morgan, Kalrock Capital, and UBL UK.

The interim PM during the trip also addressed the Oxford Union.