Saudi Arabia believes Pakistani PM insulted King Salman

Pakistani prime minister's allegedly "insulting" treatment of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman during an encounter for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca has angered the kingdom.

According to Press TV, footage showed the Pakistani premier walking the red carpet to meet King Salman. After a brief handshake and greeting, Khan spoke directly to the king’s interpreter rather than addressing the monarch himself.

Khan then was filmed pointing and gesticulating while he was addressing the translator before walking away casually, apparently without waiting to hear the royal’s reply.

Unconfirmed reports said the Saudi government had protested to Pakistan at the highest level and described the conduct of Prime Minister Imran Khan as a violation of the ceremonial protocol.

The Saudi crown prince visited the cash-strapped Pakistan in February where he received a lavish welcome.

During the visit, the two countries inked several agreements in diverse sectors worth as much as $20 billion for Pakistan.

The Mecca reception tiff is the latest embarrassment for Saudi rulers who had hoped to use the hastily-arranged summits in Mecca and Jeddah to send a concerted message to Iran. 

On Thursday, Iraqi President Barham Salih opposed a Saudi-drafted final statement which accused Iran of "interference" in regional countries.

The Syrian government also rejected the final OIC statement, describing the presence of Iranian military advisers in the country as “legitimate and lawful.”

Qatar said on Sunday it opposed the concluding hardline statements on Iran, saying they "were ready in advance and we were not consulted on them."

"The statements condemned Iran but did not refer to a moderate policy to speak with Tehran," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Ale Thani said.

"They adopted Washington policy towards Iran, rather than a policy that puts neighborhood with Iran into consideration," he added.

Sheikh Mohammed also said, "The Mecca summit ignored the important issues in the region, such as the Palestine issue and the war in Libya and Yemen.” 

ME