Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, received a high-powered Saudi business delegation and called for transforming bilateral ties into a “mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership.”
The delegation was led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi-Pak Joint Business Council, and met the prime minister at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
Senior members of the Pakistani cabinet were also present, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with ministers for communications, power, petroleum, and IT.
The visit signals growing momentum in an economic relationship that both countries are eager to move beyond its traditional contours.
Pakistan is seeking to widen its economic partnership with Saudi Arabia beyond longstanding diplomatic, defense, and financial ties.
Both countries have enjoyed a relationship that has historically been defined by remittances from Pakistani workers in the Kingdom and Saudi financial bailouts during times of economic stress.
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The Saudi delegation expressed interest in investing in Pakistani infrastructure, energy, and technology projects, including ports, highways, airport outsourcing, energy, power distribution, and IT.
Prime Minister Sharif welcomed these areas of interest and went further, suggesting that agriculture and food security could be priority areas where both countries explore mutually beneficial opportunities.
Sharif recalled Prince Mansour’s previous visit to Pakistan in October 2025 and expressed hope that the current visit would advance discussions and lead to the signing of MoUs and agreements across multiple sectors.
Prince Mansour conveyed the Saudi government’s and business community’s desire to expand business-to-business engagement with Pakistan.
The Saudi delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with key government and private sector partners to enhance Saudi investments in Pakistan, in line with the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The visit comes at a time when Islamabad has been actively courting Gulf investment to shore up its external finances and fund infrastructure development, and Saudi Arabia represents one of its most significant potential partners.
