New Delhi: Terrorism and extremism are “common concerns” and Saudi Arabia will extend all cooperation to India and other neighbouring countries to deal with them, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said on Wednesday. However, he skipped any mention of Pulwama; nor did he name Pakistan.
Even at the joint interaction with the media after the delegation-level talks with PM Modi, there was no reference to Pakistan by either leader. But that apart, the talks were “extensive and successful.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the prince with his signature hug and both laughed a great deal in front of the camera, exhibiting their personal camaraderie.
The hug also came with the announcement that Saudi Arabia sees an investment opportunity of USD 100 billion in India. Incidentally, the Saudi Crown Prince had announced investments worth 20 billion dollars in Pakistan at the end of his recent two-day visit. But, for the record, there was no naming and shaming of Pakistan.
The only take-away for the Indian side was the resolve to share intelligence and strengthen the strategic partnership council. A joint statement issued by the two sides on Wednesday night said that PM Modi and the Crown Prince had condemned “in the strongest terms” the Pulwama terror attack. The statement also said that both sides agree on the need for creation of “conditions necessary” for resumption of the comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan.
The Congress party slammed the Prime Minister for rolling out the red carpet for the Crown Prince and greeting with a hug ‘‘someone who had pledged $20 billion to Pakistan and praised its ‘anti-terror’ efforts.” Party chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted that the embrace was perhaps Modi’s way of remembering the martyrs of Pulwama.
“Do you have the courage to ask Saudi Arabia to undo their ‘joint statement’ with Pakistan, which virtually rejects India’s demand for designating Masood Azhar a global terrorist,” he asked. “Is asking for a terrorist to be designated as such, politicisation of the UN listing regime,” he questioned, responding to the joint statement in Islamabad, which had underscored the need to avoid politicisation of the issue.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reacted angrily to the Congress abusing a visiting dignitary and pointed out that the Crown Prince had offered to even share information on terror activities. That seemed to be the biggest concession from the Indian standpoint. Asked how the remarks of the two leaders squared up with Saudi-Pakistan joint statement, Secretary (Economic Relations) T.S.
TirumurtiTirumurti said he did now want to comment on it, but “if you are really looking at politicisation, you know who is politicising it”. A big concession is the Crown Prince ordering the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in jails in his country on the request of PM Modi.
A similar gesture was made in Pakistan. The Union government lost no time in hyping it. “Another big deliverable! At the request of the PM @narendramodi, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Saudi Arabia has pledged $11 bn in investments in a mega petrochemical project in Maharashtra
