New Delhi: The possible Saudi role in backchannel talks to lessen India, Pakistan tension is under the scanner again, with the Saudi foreign minister of state, Adel Al Jubeir, stopping in India for just a little over four hours. Curiously, from the airport, Jubeir directly called on PM Narendra Modi and then held talks with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj; he headed back to Riyadh immediately afterwards.
That gave National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah a good reason to put a question mark over the touch-and-go visit and demand why the Narendra Modi government was internationalising the India-Pakistan issue. He also accused it of using the good offices of the foreign minister to negotiate with Pakistan. “Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister is sitting in Delhi trying to negotiate between Pakistan and India.
What is he doing there? Who internationalized the issue?” he asked, while speaking to News18. Speculation is inevitable as just last week, Jubeir was in Islamabad; he had earlier visited the neighbouring country when Indo-Pak tensions were at their peak.
India has always rejected all attempts to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, and maintained that it will be solved bilaterally only. It is believed that Al Jubeir and Swaraj had met in Abu Dhabi, too. Apparently, the Saudis are trying to play peacemakers. Many see it as a natural corollary of the visit of Crown Prince MBS last week
