Mohammed bin Salman Orders Release of 850 Indian Prisoners, Increases Haj Quota After Meeting PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi, February 20: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered the release of about 850 Indian prisoners from the kingdom's jails after the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday. MEA also announced that Saudi Arabia will invest 100 billion dollars in India in the coming few years. Saudi Crown Prince also announced the increase in quota for Indian Haj pilgrims to 200,000. The earlier Haj quota was 1,75,025. PM Modi Gets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Backing Against Pulwama Terror Attack.

The Saudi prince had ordered the release of 850 India prisoners after a request by PM Modi. Addressing a joint press conference with PM Modi, the crown prince said his country had invested 44 billion dollars since 2016 in India, When Indian PM visited Saudi Arabia, and had benefited from it. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Receives Ceremonial Welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Tweet by ANI:

“We believe that the (investment) opportunities in India are worth more than $100 billion. Together we want to make these investments beneficial for both India and Saudi Arabia,” Crown Prince said. The investments are likely in the field of energy, refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.

Prince Mohammed arrived in India on Tuesday at the middle leg of his Asian tour, after visiting Pakistan. This visit is seen as an attempt to rebuild his reputation after the murder of journalist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2019 10:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).