PM to visit Saudi Arabia, Iran on Jan 18-19

A diplomatic row erupted on January 3 after Saudi Arabia broke off ties with Iran over attack on its embassy in Tehran following the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by the Saudi regime.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will first travel to Iran and meet President Hassan Rouhani and later the same day he will visit Saudi Arabia for a meeting with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. Maintaining the U.S.’ longstanding “partnership” with Saudi Arabia while trying to end the decades-long acrimonious relationship with Iran at the same time, will prove hard if not mutually exclusive.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, along with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, will embark on an important visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday to patch up differences between the two countries, his office said in a brief statement issued on Saturday.

A high-level delegation will accompany the prime minister.

Meanwhile, according to a report, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif’s upcoming visit to Iran has been cancelled.

Without specifically mentioning Iran, Kerry reportedly expressed sympathy over Saudi Arabia’s concerns over the Islamic Republic’s influence in the Arab world, noting that the United States shares Saudi Arabia’s anxieties.

Pakistan is a majority Sunni country but 20 percent of the population are Shiite.

The next stopover will be in Tehran where meetings will be held with the top Iranian leadership aimed at defusing tension with its arch rival Saudi Arabia.

The execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges by Saudi Arabia earlier this month, which drew strong condemnation from Iran, may further trigger sectarian divisions and power struggles gripping the region, analysts have said. He notes that Iran suspended some police officials in Tehran after the Saudi embassy was attacked.

Iran said in reaction to Nimr s execution that “the Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution”.

Riyadh, sources said, was interested in including Iran in the alliance if it gave a solemn pledge to play its role in stemming the spread of Da’ish in Syria instead of promoting them against Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. PM Sharif would take other Muslim countries into confidence on this issue after visiting Jeddah and Tehran, say the sources.