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ISLAMABAD: Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki has acknowledged efforts by the governor of Balochistan to facilitate direct travel from Quetta to the Kingdom following a meeting between the two officials to discuss mobility, investments and regional ties, the governor’s office said on Thursday.

The envoy’s meeting with Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, held in Islamabad, reflects a broader trend of Saudi engagement beyond Pakistan’s federal capital, with Balochistan, a resource-rich but underdeveloped province increasingly seen as strategically important in regional trade and energy corridors.

Both sides discussed “cordial relations between the two brotherly Islamic countries… regional economic and political developments and matters of mutual interest,” the statement from Mandokhail’s office said.

“Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki appreciated Governor Mandokhail’s personal efforts in facilitating direct travel from Quetta to ������Ƶ for the people of Balochistan,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

While the statement did not elaborate on timelines or agreements regarding direct travel between Quetta and ������Ƶ, the ambassador’s reported remarks signal interest in easing mobility for religious pilgrims, workers and business travelers from the province, many of whom currently travel via Karachi or Islamabad.

The meeting also underscores growing recognition of Balochistan’s role in Pakistan’s future economic landscape, as well as ������Ƶ’s intent to broaden the scope of its bilateral engagement beyond federal corridors of power.

Mandokhail, for his part, reaffirmed the strength of bilateral ties. “History bears witness to ������Ƶ’s special support for Pakistan during every difficult time,” he said, according to the statement.

������Ƶ remains one of Pakistan’s closest diplomatic and economic partners. In recent months, the Kingdom has reaffirmed its intention to invest in large-scale infrastructure, mining, and agricultural projects across Pakistan, including in Balochistan.

Saudi financial assistance has also been critical to Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability, particularly during periods of external financing stress.

ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday said the recent standoff between India and Pakistan was rooted in the unresolved Kashmir dispute, urging the global community to press New Delhi for a “peaceful and expeditious” settlement to ensure regional stability.

The remarks came during an event marking the sixth anniversary of India’s 2019 decision to revoke the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and integrate the Muslim-majority Himalayan region into the rest of the Indian union. The move triggered a sharp response from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties, a situation that remains unresolved. Both countries claim Kashmir in full but control only parts of it.

Speaking at the United Nations, OIC Permanent Observer Ambassador Hameed Opeloyeru linked the latest military escalation to the decades-old territorial conflict.

Earlier this year, India and Pakistan engaged in a brief but intense four-day exchange of drone strikes, missiles and artillery fire in May, following a gun attack on tourists in the Indian-administered town of Pahalgam. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack, while Pakistan denied any involvement and demanded an independent probe.

“The OIC has continued to renew its call on the global community to lean on the Government of India to allow an expeditious but peaceful resolution of the Jammu Kashmir dispute, in line with the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law,” Opeloyeru said. “Without doubt, the people of Jammu Kashmir do enjoy the inalienable rights to self-determination as established under international law, including the UN Charter.”

“It is evident that the unresolved Kashmir dispute is the root cause of the recent hostilities in West Asia,” he added. “To this end, the OIC promptly expressed its concern on the Pahalgam attack on Azad Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 and later welcomed the ceasefire, which was established on 10 May 2025 and which continues to hold.”

The OIC also criticized India’s decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a World Bank-brokered agreement governing river water distribution with Pakistan, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Islamabad has already described such a move as “an act of war,” though the OIC has urged both sides to adhere to bilateral agreements and resume dialogue.

At the same event, the OIC reiterated its rejection of India’s 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s special status and what it described as efforts to alter the region’s demography. The group reaffirmed its support for the Kashmiri people’s “legitimate struggle” for self-determination, citing resolutions adopted at its ministerial session in Istanbul in June 2025.