'Saudi Arabia has complete faith' in Pakistan, says Shahbaz upon return from the Kingdom

Addressing the media shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the Kingdom has complete faith in Pakistan.

The chief minister was addressing a press conference at a kidney and liver transplant institute, where he had gone directly after landing at Lahore airport.

"If we look at Pakistan's 70-year history, [we can see that] at every turn ─ during earthquakes, storms and wars ─ Saudi Arabia has stood by Pakistan on both diplomatic and international levels," the chief minister, who had travelled to Saudi Arabia on Dec 27, said as he spoke to the press.

On December 30, former primer Nawaz Sharif, too, had travelled to Saudi Arabia. Opposition parties had remained suspicious of the agenda behind the Sharifs' visit, interpreting it as an attempt to win a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

When asked by a journalist if the visit to Saudi Arabia was an attempt to secure an NRO, Shahbaz left the question unanswered, only saying, "for God's sake".

The chief minister had landed in Lahore after a six-day visit to Saudi Arabia where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Muhammad.

His elder brother is set to return to Pakistan later today.