Relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated further after the country’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was denied an audience with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman during his visit to the Kingdom on Monday. In h Pakistan, there is confusion over what the next step will be but so far foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has not been asked to step down.

General Bajwa, accompanied by ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz, had gone to Saudi Arabia at the behest of Imran Khan’s government in a bid to clarify matters and restore good relations between the two countries. The Saudi leadership is believed to have taken offence over remarks made earlier this month, by Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who accused the Saudi-backed Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) of dilly-dallying on Pakistan’s request for a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers on Kashmir.

Instead, Bajwa held talks with Saudi Deputy Minister for Defence Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.

This is being seen as a deliberate snub by the Saudi leadership to Pakistan’s overtures, say officials in Islamabad. But the failed mission in Saudi Arabia is also creating a gap on foreign policy matters between Prime Minister Imran Khan and the military leadership. Officials say that major foreign policy initiatives are taken with the nod of the army high command and the statement by foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi against the OIC was no exception.

“It is in this context that one must read the statement of minister Dr Shireen Mazari,” said an analyst. Dr Mazari has bitterly criticized the foreign ministry and praised the foreign policy initiatives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan finally broke his silence on the issue on Tuesday. In a wide ranging interview with a private television channel, when asked about relations with Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan’s role “is not to divide the Muslim world”.

He commented that Saudi Arabia has its own foreign policy. “News of breakdown in relations with Saudi Arabia is completely baseless,” he told his interviewer, adding “Saudi Arabia has helped Pakistan in every difficult time.”

At the same time, Khan called China a long-time friend of Pakistan. “It should be clear that our future is connected with China,” he stressed. He said China had stood by Pakistan through good and bad times. “We are further strengthening our ties with China. China also needs Pakistan very much. Unfortunately, Western countries are using India against China,” he added.

Amidst the confusion, foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who started the row, remains unfazed. Over the weekend, local channels reported that Qureshi had reportedly slapped the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Azam Khan, after a heated argument.

According to a media report, the minister wanted to meet Imran when Azam Khan stopped him outside the office. That is when Qureshi lost his temper and slapped him. Qureshi has reportedly expressed his disappointment at not being allowed to enter the office premises. The Foreign Office has rejected the report saying that no such incident took place.

Critics are of the opinion that it is also not without significance that Qureshi met Qatar’s new envoy Sheikh Saoud bin Abdul Rehman Al-Thani on the same day as the army chief went to Saudi Arabia.

The new envoy is from Qatar’s royal family. A diplomat said his appointment reflected the interest Qatar is showing in expanding relations with Pakistan.