PM Modi to leave for Saudi Arabia today for investment summit; Pak denies use of airspace

New Delhi, Oct 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Saudi Arabia on a day-long visit to participate in an annual investment forum to be held there, official sources said. Modi's visit comes months after Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman paid a visit to India in February.

Modi will attend the third edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), an annual investment forum being held on October 29-31. Saudi Arabia had said last month that it is looking at investing USD 100 billion in India in areas of petrochemicals, infrastructure and mining among others, considering the country's growth potential.

Saudi Ambassador Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati had said India is an attractive investment destination for his country, the world's biggest oil exporter, and it is eyeing long-term partnerships with New Delhi in key sectors such oil, gas and mining.

Meanwhile, Pakistan had denied India's request to allow Modi's VVIP flight to use its airspace for his visit to Saudi Arabia citing alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency PTI reported, quoting Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The report also said that such clearances are given routinely by any normal country.

Pakistan had closed its airspace after February's border tension and eventually opened it up in phases. From 16 July, it had opened up its airspace fully for civilian aircraft.