New Pakistan PM on 1st trip to Saudi amid political division

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pakistan’s newly elected prime minister has visited Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip since taking office, an attempt to boost economic relations with the wealthy, oil-rich kingdom as Pakistan struggles with huge debt, soaring inflation and a worsening energy crisis. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif landed on Thursday in the holy city of Medina, just weeks after political turmoil that rattled Pakistan’s fragile democracy and led to the ouster of former Premier Imran Khan. Although Sharif sought to leverage his maiden trip to the birthplace of Islam as a diplomatic milestone, the political divisions that have pushed Pakistan to the brink of crisis were on stark display during the three-day visit.