Riyadh - The prime minister of Saudi Arabia's longstanding ally Pakistan arrived in the kingdom Thursday for talks after his parliament refused to send forces to help a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Nawaz Sharif is travelling with a powerful delegation including army chief General Raheel Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other senior officials.
A statement from his office said the one-day trip was to discuss the war in Yemen.
The official Saudi Press Agency said the Pakistanis met King Salman and other top officials including Crown Prince Moqren, Deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
SPA gave no details of their discussions.
A Saudi-led coalition conducted a 27-day campaign of air strikes in Yemen aimed at halting the advance of Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies.
On Tuesday night the coalition said it was starting a new phase aiming to resume Yemen's political process, deliver aid and fight "terrorism," as air strikes continued.
AFP
