Saudi Arabia tells Pakistan to observe “Kashmir Black Day” as low key affair within the embassy

Saudi Arabia has asked the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh to keep its “Kashmir Black Day” event a low key affair on October 26, reported The Print.

The Saudi kingdom which has in the last few years have grown closer to India, told the Pakistan embassy all programs and talks must be done strictly within the premises of the embassy.

Saudi Arabia where many Indians live and work did not want to “create issues” for the Indian ex-pat community living in the Kingdom.

The bilateral relations between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are at its best. The Saudis have made it clear to Pakistan many times that it will not raise the issue of Kashmir nor it will meddle into India’s internal affairs on subjects like the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate union Territories (UTs) despite Pakistan’s efforts at the highest level.

On the other hand, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has not been on good terms lately as Pakistan along with its new obsession, Turkey, and Malaysia tried to form a rival Islamic block that the oil-rich kingdom saw as a direct challenge to its leadership among all Muslim nations.

After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, the India-Saudi Arabia relations have strengthened, much to the dismay of Pakistan.

As a result, Saudi Arabia refused to convene a foreign ministers’ meeting on Kashmir. The Imran Khan government had earlier ruined the Saudi-Pakistan relationship further by threatening to split the OIC over the issue.

The threat irked MBS so much that he rebuffed General Qamar Javed Bajwa who had visited Saudi Arabia earlier in August to mend the differences.