Riyadh | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan held a brief but high-stakes round of unannounced talks in Riyadh, but the engagement ended swiftly and without progress as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions, multiple diplomatic sources told Dawn. The meeting, mediated by Saudi Arabia late on Sunday evening, was aimed at addressing tensions between the two countries following border clashes in October and Pakistan’s demand for action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. According to officials, the Afghan Taliban delegation was led by Anas Haqqani and Rahmatullah Najib. The Pakistani side included officials who had participated in earlier rounds in Istanbul under the Turkiye-Qatar track. A diplomat from the Foreign Office (FO) was added to the Pakistani delegation. However, unlike the lengthier sessions held in Doha and Qatar, the Riyadh conversation wrapped up quickly, with one source describing it as “a short exchange rather than extended negotiations”. Saudi authorities facilitate talks quietly;...

Saudi Arabia quietly facilitated a round of direct talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at easing tensions over cross-border terrorism, but the discussions wrapped up late on Sunday without any breakthrough, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. The closed-door session in Riyadh ended with both sides holding firm to their longstanding positions and showing little willingness to compromise, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were not publicly acknowledged. The sources added that another Saudi-hosted round remains possible in the near future. The Riyadh engagement, which took place as a separate track co-mediated by Turkiye and Qatar remains stalled. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier announced plans to dispatch a delegation to Pakistan, but the visit has yet to materialise. The Turkiye-Qatar initiative produced a fragile ceasefire after clashes in early October, though Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a weekly briefing o...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, led the Pakistani delegation at the Second International Conference on Justice in Riyadh, organized under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

United States President Donald Trump has been talking up the prospects of Saudi Arabia agreeing to normalise ties with Israel, but it is unlikely to happen when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House this month. The establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia after decades of enmity could shake up the political and security landscape in the Middle East, potentially strengthening US influence in the region. Trump said last month he hoped Saudi Arabia would “very soon” join other Muslim countries that signed the 2020 Abraham Accords normalising ties with Israel. But Riyadh has signalled to Washington through diplomatic channels that its position has not changed: it will sign up only if there is agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood, two Gulf sources told Reuters. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman speaks with US President Donald Trump on the day of the Saudi-US Investment Forum, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 13. — Reuters/File The intention is to a...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal met with the Saudi Minister of Health on Wednesday in Riyadh to discuss strengthening cooperation in the health sector, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed for Saudi Arabia to participate in the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) being held in Riyadh from October 27 to 29, 2025, at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Riyadh from 27 to 29 October to attend the Ninth Future Investment Initiative (FII9), leading a high-level delegation to explore avenues for strengthening economic and investment cooperation with Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. The FII9 will convene global leaders, investors, policymakers, and innovators to explore the theme, “The Key to Prosperity: Unlocking New Frontiers of Growth”. Thematic discussions will address global challenges and opportunities, focusing on key topics such as innovation, sustainability, economic inclusion, and geopolitical shifts. “At the invitation of His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will lead a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, as well as senior Cabinet Ministers — to Riyadh from 27 to 29 October 2025 to participate in the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiati...

The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute has unveiled the program and speaker lineup for its flagship FII9 Conference, set to take place from October 27 to 30, 2025, at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center (KAICC) in Riyadh.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif left Islamabad for Riyadh on Tuesday for an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has inaugurated a new direct flight route from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, to Sialkot, aiming to facilitate the large number of passengers travelling between the two cities.