Saudi Arrests Pakistan Pligrims For Indulging In 'Chor, Chor' Sloganeering Against PM Shehbaz Sharif Inside Prophet's Mosque In Medina

Some Pakistani pilgrims who chanted slogans against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and harassed members of his delegation at a mosque in Medina have been arrested by Saudi authorities, Dawn reported.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday (Apr 28) on his first foreign trip since taking office. The three-day visit to the Kingdom is on the invitation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The prime minister was accompanied by several members of his cabinet, including Foreign Minister and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Minister for Narcotic's Control Shahzain Bugti.

After arriving in Medina, Prime Minister and his delegation headed to the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) to offer prayers.

According to many videos that emerged on the social media, Pakistani pilgrims at the mosque started chanting slogans of "chor" (thieves) as soon as they saw the prime minister.

In another video, the pilgrims could be seen heckling and raising vulgar slogans against federal ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Shahzain Bugti. A pilgrim can also seen pulling Bugti's hair from behind. The ministers were escorted to safety by Saudi security guards.

Following the slogan-chanting at Masjid-e-Nabwi against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday announced that Pakistan would request Saudi Arabia to take action against those involved.

"My ministry will make a humble request to the Saudi government to take appropriate action on this matter. We are going to convey the pain the nation felt at these incidents in Masjid-i-Nabwi," he added.

Religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel condemned the sloganeering and said that the protest at the holy mosque wasn't "acceptable in Islam".

Pakistan Ulema Council chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi also condemned the incident. He said the such incidents violated the sanctity of the mosque.

Several politicians and supporters of the government blamed the atmosphere created by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for the incident in the mosque