By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Thursday to discuss “ways to enhance bilateral ties.”
Al Nahyan, who arrived on a day-long visit amid ongoing controversy involving Khan for not attending a summit in Malaysia last month on alleged pressure from Saudi Arabia, had a one-on-one meeting with the prime minister.
The crown prince confirmed his meeting with Khan in a tweet. "I arrived in Islamabad today and discussed with my friend Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, regional and international issues of mutual interest as well as ways to enhance bilateral ties."
It was Al Nahyan’s second visit to Pakistan in a year. He visited Islamabad last January, days after his country announced a $3 billion package to shore up depreciating foreign reserves.
Local English daily, Dawn, citing diplomatic sources, said Al Nahyan had been in Pakistan for the past few days hunting houbara bustard, an endangered bird that migrates by the thousands from Central Asia to Pakistan every winter.
The central government, which terms the issuance of hunting licenses to Arab royals as a “cornerstone” of its Middle East policy, regularly gives licenses to members of the royal families of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and others.
Some reports suggest hunters consider the meat of the chicken-sized bird an aphrodisiac.
