Pak Army chief returns after a 'hushed' visit to Saudi, UAE

Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, returned to the country on Tuesday, after a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, the Dawn quoted sources, as saying.

General Bajwa's quiet visit to the two Middle East countries coincided with a meeting of representatives from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the US, in Muscat, Oman, to revive the stalled Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).

During the tour, the army chief reportedly met key Emirati leaders, including Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the Prime Minister of the UAE.

According to Arab News, he thanked the UAE government for extending "humanitarian assistance" to Pakistanis residing in the country.

General Bajwa also attended the inaugural session of the second International Conference on C4I Solutions at the King Saud University in Riyadh.

The conference was organised by the Saudi Defence Ministry with the theme "Alliance Against Terrorism: Strategies and Capabilities".

Gen. Bajwa also met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the conference.

There was no official word about this visit or the army chief's meetings.

He also reviewed the scope of the bilateral relationship with the Commander of the Saudi Ground Forces, Lt. Gen. Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz.