Turkish President claims Saudi pressured Pakistan to skip Kuala Lumpur Summit
Ankara/IBNS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week claimed that Pakistan was forced to withdraw from a gathering of leaders from many Islamic nations in Malaysia after Saudi Arabia had issued economic threats on it.
The four-day conference, which opened in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to address some of the Islamic world's thorniest issues, was boycotted by a handful of countries including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, reported Geo News.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who along with his Malaysian counterpart and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had been a prime mover behind the summit, made a last-minute decision to withdraw from the meeting, reported the Pakistan news channel.
Erdogan, however, revealed the Saudi involvement in the move made by Pakistan.
"Unfortunately, we see that Saudi Arabia pressures Pakistan. Now, there are promises that the country has given to Pakistan regarding the central bank," he was quoted as saying by Daily Sabah newspaper.
"However, more than that, there are 4 million Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia. They (threaten by saying that they) would send (Pakistanis) back and re-employ Bangladeshi people instead," he said.
Pakistan said it skipped the summit to address concerns from some Muslim countries of a possible division in the Ummah.
"In response to questions from the media, the Spokesperson stated that Pakistan did not participate in the KL Summit as time and efforts were needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries regarding possible division in the Ummah.Pakistan will continue to work for the unity and solidarity of the Ummah, which is indispensable for effectively addressing the challenges faced by the Muslim world," Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia also denied exerting pressure on Pakistan.
"The embassy affirms that the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Pakistan are superior to the language of threat," the Saudi Embassy said in a statement as reported by Dawn News.
"The brotherly relations between the countries are long-standing and strategic based on trust, understanding and mutual respect, and the two countries enjoy a consensus of views on most regional and international issues, especially the issues of the Islamic nation," it said.
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