CROWN Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday said Saudi Arabia has signed investment agreements worth US$20 billion during his high-profile visit to Pakistan, where tensions were flaring up with nuclear-armed rival India.

Kicking off his tour of South Asia with a far higher Pakistan investment than expected, the crown prince said the US$20 billion figure represents only the start of an economic tie-up that would bring the historic Muslim allies even closer.

“It’s big for phase 1, and definitely it will grow every month and every year, and it will be beneficial to both countries,” said the crown prince.

“We have been a brotherly country, a friendly country to Pakistan. We’ve walked together in tough and good times, and we (will) continue.”

But Prince Mohammed’s visit is at risk of being overshadowed by Pakistan’s growing tensions with India.

Cash-strapped and in need of friends, Pakistan welcomed the crown prince with open arms and in grandiose fashion, including sending fighter jets to guide his incoming plane once it entered Pakistani airspace. Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan’s army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa greeted Prince Mohammed on the red carpet of a military airport in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, before Khan personally drove the crown prince to the capital Islamabad.  (SD-Agencies)