The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could play a role in reducing tension between India and Pakistan, said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan-al-Saud. The remark came after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan concluded his three-day visit to the Gulf country. 

In an interview to Radio Pakistan, Prince Faisal also hailed the joint statement the two countries had issued earlier this year which called for the strict observance of ceasefire along the line of control. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan joint statement, somewhat unusually, urged India and Pakistan to resolve all disputes, including the issue of Kashmir, through dialogue and talks. 

This came a month after the UAE diplomat to the US, Ambassador Yousuf-al- Otaiba, had claimed his country played a crucial role in bringing the joint statement calling for a ceasefire along the India-Pakistan Line of Control, the de facto ceasefire line in Kashmir. 

He also hoped the two countries would reduce tensions, and restore diplomatic relations to a normal and healthy level. 

Significantly, the recent visit of Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia also helped repair the damaged ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The ties between Islamabad and Riyadh had suffered a blow last year when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi publicly criticized the Gulf kingdom for failing to call an emergency meeting of OIC foreign ministers on Kashmir (SAM)