Riyadh | Pakistan

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, Riyadh Air, has announced an expansion of its routes to Pakistan, with daily flights connecting the two capitals set to commence on August 14. In a statement, the airline said that ticket sales had started for the Islamabad-Riyadh and Lahore-Riyadh routes, while the inaugural service to Lahore would be launched on August 18. A total of seven flights per week would operate between Riyadh and Islamabad, while the Lahore route would be served by three flights per week, the statement said. The airline said that the new routes will be operated on Riyadh Air’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, featuring the airline’s latest cabin interiors and on-board experience. The Dreamliners feature four cabins, including Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy and Economy class. The Lahore-Riyadh and Islamabad-Riyadh routes have been planned to offer smooth onward connectivity to Europe and the Middle East, catering to both business and leisure travellers from Pakistan, the statemen...

High-profile visit underscores Islamabad's commitment to Riyadh

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia that would establish a civilian nuclear programme in the Gulf country is contingent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords and normalising ties with Israel. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the deal only pertained to the civilian use of nuclear facilities “such as the ones that Iran and [the] UAE (and others) already have”. He added that the deal “will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords”. The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements brokered under Trump in 2020 and govern the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and countries that have historically been hostile to it. They, however, remain unpopular among the public in many parts of the region, not least because they do not tackle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The move comes as the United States under President Donald Trump fights a war with Iran that began in large part over concerns wi...

A high-level delegation, led by the Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division), Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, on Monday held a meeting with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Energy Working Group in Riyadh, reaffirming the longstanding brotherly ties between the two nations and charting a course for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the.

Saudi Arabia launched its second national carrier Riyadh Air after more than a year of delays on Wednesday, defying the economic turmoil triggered by the Middle East war and strong competition from established Gulf airlines. A London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Riyadh Air’s white and lavender livery took off at 2:30am local time, putting in motion a flagship project in Saudi Arabia’s push to reduce its economic reliance on oil. Riyadh Air, the country’s second state-owned airline after Jeddah-based Saudia, is meant to help turn the Saudi capital into a global hub to rival Dubai, the world’s busiest for international passengers. “We want to bring glamour, we want to bring refinement, we want to bring grace back,” Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told AFP. The launch, originally planned for 2025, was set back by delivery delays from Boeing, which has suffered a series of manufacturing and safety problems in recent years. It also follows unprecedented attacks from Iran, which has fired thousands of drones and miss...

Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with the kingdom, a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) said. In a post on X, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry reported that three drones were intercepted and destroyed on Monday morning, having originated from Iraqi airspace. The United Arab Emirates condemned the incident earlier today, while Iraq said it is investigating the incident. In its statement, the FO condemned in the strongest possible terms the drone attacks carried out against Riyadh, noting: “Such attacks constitute a serious violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and appear to be an attempt to further undermine regional peace and stability.” It added that the government and the people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the Saudi government and people, reaffirming their “full and unwavering support for the kingdom’s security, peace and prosperity.” The incident occurred after strikes on the Barakah nuclear plant in the UAE...

PAF jets deployed to Saudi airbase, says Riyadh

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, held a meeting that day with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, on the sidelines of the Consultative Ministerial Meeting in Riyadh.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a meeting with the foreign ministers of regional countries, where he will advocate for a “swift end” to the conflict in the Middle East, according to the Foreign Office (FO). The conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. In retaliatory strikes, Iran has targeted US assets and bases in Gulf countries. Amid the hostilities, the FO has termed Pakistan’s role a “bridge builder”. In a statement, FO said Dar had arrived in Riyadh, where he is set to “participate in the Consultative Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, hosted by Saudi Arabia”. Upon arrival, Dar was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Farooq and representatives of the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, FO said. In a separate statement earlier in the day, the FO said that Dar was travelling to Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. It said Dar would at...

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.