Nawaz Sharif's humiliation at Arab Islamic American Summit triggers massive criticism in Pakistan

It was an embarrassing moment for Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he was snubbed at Riyadh’s Arab Islamic American Summit when he was not invited to speak.

According to reports by Zee News, Sharif had prepared a long speech and had rehearsed it during the flight to Riyadh. However, during the summit that comprised 44 Muslim nations, Sharif was not called on stage to speak.

The report also stated that US President Donald Trump met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and spent some time with them, but only shook hands with Sharif.  

During the summit, President Trump spoke of how terrorism had affected countries such as India, Russia and Australia, but refrained from acknowledging Pakistan. Trump also urged all the Muslim countries to ensure that terrorists do not use their soil to launch attacks on other countries.

Pakistani daily The Nation openly criticised the prime minister on this front saying, “The prime minister has suffered through the optics of attending a blatantly anti-Iran summit; will he be bold enough to suffer the consequences of making a personal trip to Tehran.”

Former Pakistani army chief Raheel Sharif, who heads the Islamic military coalition, was also ignored at the summit. The opposition did not hesitate to give its opinion. Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan criticised Sharif for making the summit an “ineffective”; tour of Saudi Arabia and questioned the validity of his visit.

Watch the Zee News report here