King Salman: Sharif visit, meetings

The Pakistani parliament’s decision not to send troops to join the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis in Yemen was a real blow to Riyadh, and the Pakistani leadership has been eager to try to make amends. Following the 16 April visit of a special envoy, on 23 April, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to Riyadh to smooth things over. Sharif is particularly close to the Saudis, who provided exile for him and dozens of family members after the 1999 coup by General Pervez Musharraf which removed him from power; Saudi Arabia has continued to be a close and important ally.