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Pakistani officials head for Saudi Arabia for talks

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Islamabad: A high-level Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and advisor to the prime minister Sartaj Aziz left for Saudi Arabia to hold talks over the ongoing crisis in Yemen on Tuesday.

Senior officials from the Foreign Office and three armed forces personnel were also part of the delegation, which departed from Islamabad for Riyadh, Dawn online reported.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sought guidance from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif before leaving for the Saudi capital and held a brief meeting with members of the delegation.

The Pakistani delegation will meet Saudi Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz and the Saudi defence minister in Riyadh besides other high-ranking officials for discussion over the crisis in Yemen.

The delegation is also expected to meet the leadership of Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the possibility of enabling a truce in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and its allies last week launched airstrikes in Yemen against Shia Houthi fighters, who have tightened their grip in the southern city of Aden where the country's president had taken refuge.

Pakistan is a regional ally of Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni Muslim power in the Gulf, but has yet to commit itself publicly to military support to Riyadh's campaign in Yemen.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a telephone call with Saudi King Salman on Saturday offered "all potentials of the Pakistan army", media quoted the Saudi Press Agency as saying.