Pakistan gifts bin Salman golden gun, self-portrait

A delegation of Pakistani senators presented Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) with a German-developed gilded gun on Monday.

The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a submachine gun that has elaborate patterns on its golden components.

The golden weapon wasn’t the only gift the crown prince received, as sources also reported that MBS was also presented with a self-portrait.

The crown prince's recent visit to Pakistan marks a deepening of ties between allies whose relationship has in the past centered on oil-rich Saudi Arabia backing Pakistan's economy during difficult periods, and in return Pakistan's powerful army lending support to Saudi Arabia and its royal family.

Fighter jets escorted the prince's plane across Pakistani airspace and television stations devoted hours of live coverage to the royal motorcade and ceremony, where officials signed memoranda of understanding in energy, minerals and agriculture valued at about $20 billion.

As the guardians of most holy sites in the birthplace of Islam, the Saudi royal family carries vast religious influence in Pakistan, a staunchly conservative and mostly Muslim country of 208 million people.

Pakistan has shown appreciation by treating Prince Mohammed's trip as the biggest state visit since one by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, soon after Beijing announced plans to invest tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure in Pakistan as part of China's Belt and Road initiative.

Many in the West blamed Prince Mohammed for the killing of the journalist Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

The murder triggered the kingdom's biggest political crisis for a generation. The crown prince has denied being involved.

The crown prince had "ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners", after a request by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a post on Twitter.