New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will cut short his visit to Jeddah and fly back to India Tuesday night in the backdrop of the deadly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
According to government sources, Modi will be departing Jeddah after the completion of his bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Modi and the Crown Prince are co-chairing the Strategic Partnership Council.
The Prime Minister will be giving the official dinner being hosted by Saudi Arabia a miss and is expected to reach New Delhi early Wednesday morning. PM Modi was originally scheduled to return to India later on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, terrorists killed at least 28 people in Pahalgam in what is turning out to be one of the deadliest attacks in the Kashmir Valley in recent years. The terrorists sprayed bullets with AK47s at tourists, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and expressed condolences to the bereaved. “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” he posted on ‘X’.
Modi’s trip to Jeddah was his first visit to the West Asian nation in about six years. A number of agreements including a potential deal on taxation and easing investments from Riyadh is expected from the meeting between Modi and the Saudi Crown Prince.
In 2019, Riyadh had announced its intention to invest $100 billion into India. However, not much has been done so far. A positive decision with regards to investment is another expected outcome from the visit.
Amongst other key sectors that were to be discussed included energy and the transfer of prisoners. Riyadh is a key partner for India’s energy security, exporting roughly $25 billion worth of crude oil in 2023-2024.
(Edited by Tony Rai)