ISLAMABAD: Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Monday met a five-member delegation of top Saudi intelligence officials at Chaklala Airbase before leaving for Saudi Arabia where he was believed to have held important meetings with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal and chief of Royal Saudi Land Force Lieutenant General Khalid bin Bandar.
It is learnt that Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz, Director General Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Presidency (GIP), also known as Al Mukhabarat Al A’amah, was leading the delegation that met Pasha in Rawalpindi. Apparently, the Saudi intelligence officials arrived on the pretext of watching the Pak-Saudi joint military exercise, Al-Samsaam-IV, that kicked off near Jehlum on Monday. But the development is seen as inter-linked to Saudi Arabia’s possible role as mediator in diffusing Pak-US tension like it did during Raymond Davis saga, earlier this year.
When approached, head of Saudi Embassy’s media section in Islamabad, Saleh Al Mugheeri expressed his ignorance over the arrival of US intelligence officials followed by DG ISI departure for Saudi Arabia. “I don’t know about this development. Not to my knowledge if anything like that happened,” he told this newspaper in a brief response by phone.Sources said Pakistan has moved to use diplomatic channels by involving Saudi Arabia for mediation. Saudi Arabia had played key mediating role in Raymond Davis release. – Nation
