Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was reprimanded on social media for his posture when he received his Saudi colleague Nawaf bin Saeed al-Malki in Islamabad.
Many Saudis found it objectionable for Qureshi to sit with one leg crossed and the other to point at al-Malki.
According to the Saudi embassy in Pakistan, the ministers met to discuss current events in the region and to “examine the bilateral relations between the two brother countries”.
Social media users on Twitter and other platforms reacted angrily to Qureshi’s vulgar gesture.
On 30 December, when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was ridiculed and reprimanded for his harsh and immoral poses while speaking with the Saudi envoy, the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan met with the Saudi envoy, apparently ” damage” for control.
Meanwhile, according to the Prime Minister’s Finance Adviser, Pakistan received a $3 billion loan from Saudi Arabia on December 4 as part of the economic aid package.
FS Sohail Mahmood welcomed @AmbassadorNawaf at FO today. Views exchanged on further fortifying the ongoing momentum in Pakistan-KSA relations. FS deeply appreciated Amb Nawaf’s contributions to strengthening of historic & multi-dimensional ties between two brotherly countries. pic.twitter.com/opEIapaCb2
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) December 30, 2021
High inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves, rising current account deficit and sinking currency have created growing economic concerns for the South Asian country.
According to central bank data, Pakistan’s total liquid foreign reserves stand at $22,498 billion.