Lt-Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar has been appointed as Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He has replaced a career diplomat, Raja Ali Ejaz.
Since the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki was from the Royal Saudi Navy and retired as Rear Admiral, both Islamabad and Riyadh now have former military men as each other's ambassadors in their respective capitals.
The News reported that the sudden shuffling of Saudi Arabia's ambassador is a significant development in terms of the relationship between the two countries, which has recently witnessed tensions.
On the other hand, India’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has shown marked improvement. Late, last year, the Indian Army Chief visited the kingdom for the first time. It is expected of Gen Bilal Akbar to salvage the worsening ties Pakistan has with Saudi Arabia, especially after how the expected delegation from the latter didn’t come to Pakistan.
Since the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki was from the Royal Saudi Navy and retired as Rear Admiral, both Islamabad and Riyadh now have former military men as each other's ambassadors in their respective capitals.
The News reported that the sudden shuffling of Saudi Arabia's ambassador is a significant development in terms of the relationship between the two countries, which has recently witnessed tensions.
On the other hand, India’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has shown marked improvement. Late, last year, the Indian Army Chief visited the kingdom for the first time. It is expected of Gen Bilal Akbar to salvage the worsening ties Pakistan has with Saudi Arabia, especially after how the expected delegation from the latter didn’t come to Pakistan.