Three-nation tour: PM Shehbaz arrives in Jeddah amid regional tensions

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Jeddah on Wednesday for a bilateral visit to Saudi Arabia, his office said.
At the airport, he was warmly received by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq, and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Al-Malki.

The PM is accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, as well as other senior officials.

The premier will also travel to Qatar and Turkiye during his five-day official visit.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Foreign Office (FO) said that the visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be in the bilateral context, where the premier will meet the leadership of both the countries to discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security.

His visit to the Kingdom comes after Saudi Arabia pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits for Pakistan and has extended its existing $5 billion facility for a further three years.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz will also participate in the Fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye.

“He will participate in the Leaders’ Panel, alongside other world leaders, to present Pakistan’s perspective at the Forum,” said the FO.

Prime minister Shehbaz is expected to hold bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other key world leaders.

Pakistan’s participation in the Forum reflects its continued commitment to constructive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and meaningful engagement with the international community on issues of global importance.

This will be the first visit of the premier to any country since Pakistan hosted an inconclusive round of United States–Iran talks in Islamabad.