'World has sidelined us': Pakistanis react to India's G20 Summit, visit by 'Shehzada of Saudi Arabia'

India's successful hosting of the G20 Summit in New Delhi created some chatter in Pakistan, where people feel that their country has been sidelined on the world stage. Some Pakistanis believed that the summit, which was attended by US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, and other heads of major economies, would surely benefit India.      

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"When heads of the top 20 countries visit the country, it is an honour for the country. Indian economy will get many benefits from it," a person said while speaking to news agency ANI. Another person said that the ruler of Saudi Arabia came to India and people expected him to come to Pakistan too but he did not come. "When such a big conference takes place, people see that the country is moving forward."

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the two-day summit in New Delhi from September 9-10. Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan was hoping that the Saudi Crown Prince would make a stopover during the India visit but that did not take place. Pakistan considers Saudi Arabia and UAE among its friendly countries in the Gulf region but some now say that even they are ditching Islamabad.

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Another person from Pakistan blamed the country's foreign policy behind the snub. "I think we have failed in our foreign policy and because of this the G-20 summit is being held in our neighbouring country and heads of state are coming. In the last 5-6 years our economy and the security situation have deteriorated. The world has sidelined us."

Pakistanis also praised India for hosting the summit successfully. The person said that today, when Pakistan was trying to save its economy, India was hosting the top 20 countries. "India has taken a good step. This was a proud moment for Indians. The pictures that have come from India, PM Modi's pictures with the world leaders, they got successful in showing a positive picture of India to the world," the person said.

"'Shezada' of Saudi Arabia didn't come here but he went to India, which shows how India has become important for the world. It was surprising that Bangladesh was invited but Pakistan was not invited," the person further added.

Pakistan has been facing an economic crisis for the past one year due to a shortage of foreign currency, high inflation, and slowing growth. Inflation has hit a record high in the country due to a shortage of essential commodities. 

During the G20 Summit, India announced the launch of the India - Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
(IMEC). The IMEC is expected to stimulate economic development through enhanced connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Arabian Gulf, and Europe. The corridor has also been dubbed as the US-India's counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Pakistan is one of the participants of the BRI.  

Earlier today, Norway's Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, congratulated the Indian government on achieving the consensus. "It is a big achievement. I hope the leaders will follow up on the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration on all issues, particularly on combating climate change. India is a fast-growing economy and I am happy to see that the goal is that the growth should be green."