ISLAMABAD, July 13: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf will leave for Saudi Arabia on Sunday (July 15) for a two-day visit to the kingdom amid a politico-judicial crisis at home which has raised questions about his chances of continuing in office for long.

This will be Mr Ashraf’s first overseas trip as prime minister.

During his meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Aziz Ibrahim Al-Ghadeer on July 2, Mr Ashraf had expressed his desire to visit the kingdom. “I am keen to visit the kingdom, the Holy Land,” Mr Ashraf was quoted as telling the Saudi diplomat.

Interestingly, the last official trip of Mr Ashraf’s predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was also to Saudi Arabia. Mr Gilani visited the kingdom to attend the funeral of Saudi crown prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Ashraf will meet King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

A foreign ministry official said on Friday the purpose of the visit was to reiterate the importance Pakistani government attached to relations with Saudi Arabia.

A diplomatic observer said that under normal circumstances it was plausible for any prime minister to undertake a foreign trip to strengthen bilateral relations, but a premier facing a survival crisis at home would go on an overseas trip only for something very pressing.

Mr Ashraf, therefore, could be looking for Riyadh’s blessings for a ‘political bailout’ or urgent economic help to ease the financial crisis at home.

The kingdom has not just been helping Pakistan with financial aid but has also been an important external actor in the country’s domestic milieu. The Saudi involvement was summed up by the kingdom’s ambassador to the US, Adel al Jubeir, who once said: “We in Saudi Arabia are not observers in Pakistan, we are participants.”

Riyadh maintains strong ties with key opposition party PML-N and the religious parties and groups. But, more importantly, it has cordial relations with Pakistan’s military leadership.