Saudi Arabia | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt from March 29-30 for “in-depth discussions” on a variety of issues, including efforts to reduce the ongoing tensions in the region amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. In a press release issued on Saturday, the Foreign Office said that at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia’s FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkiye’s FM Hakan Fidan, and Egypt’s FM Dr Badr Abdelatty will visit Islamabad from March 29 to March 30. “During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region,” the FO said, adding that the visiting dignitaries will also call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “Pakistan highly values its relations with the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt,” the FO statement underscored. “The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperat...

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have signed an air defence agreement during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the kingdom, which is facing Iranian drone attacks, two senior officials told AFP on Friday. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same kind of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine. “The point of the agreement is that Ukraine will support them in developing all the necessary components of air defence, which they currently lack,” one official said of the document which, according to another was signed on Thursday. Both spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity. Kyiv has been using a mix of cheap drone interceptors, electronic jamming tools and anti-aircraft guns to down Russian drones fired at its cities on a nightly basis for four years. It touts its anti-drone defences as the best in the world. Ukraine has proposed swapping its interceptors for vastly more expensive air-defence missiles that G...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an unannounced visit, as the war in Iran spurs interest among Gulf countries in Ukrainian arms technology. The two countries are set to sign an agreement on “security cooperation — in particular, the protection of the skies”, later on Thursday, a senior official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. They did not provide further details of what was set to be in the accord. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine. Zelensky has said that more than 200 Ukrainian anti-drone experts have been deployed to several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, since the US-Israel strikes on Iran spurred retaliatory drone and missile attacks targetting US assets and bases from Tehran. While Tehran accepts responsibility for some of the attacks, it denies having a role in others, ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hailed Saudi Arabia for showing “remarkable restraint” during the ongoing Middle East hostilities and stressed the need for urgent de-escalation. He made the remarks during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wherein the two discussed Iran’s retaliatory attacks sparked by the US-Israel military actions on February 28. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the phone call early this morning termed their conversation “warm and cordial”. “While appreciating the leadership of the Kingdom for demonstrating remarkable restraint in the current crisis, the prime minister reassured His Royal Highness that Pakistan would always stand by the Kingdom and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, just as they had always supported Pakistan, through thick and thin,” the PMO stated. It further said that the prime minister “reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed, once again, Pakistan’s com...

Saudi Arabia announced that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated on Friday, according to a statement published by state media. “The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Thursday, is the completion of the 30th day of the month of Ramazan, and that Friday is the day of the Blessed Eidul Fitr,” the Saudi Press Agency reported. Across the Muslim world, Ramazan festivities this year were overshadowed by the ongoing war in the Middle East, triggered by the US and Israel’s attack on Iran. The Gulf region has been pummelled with repeated strikes by Iran in a retaliatory blitz, with airports, residential areas, energy installations and military bases targeted with ballistic missiles and drones. Last week, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) forecast that Eidul Fitr was expected to fall on March 21 as the chances of sighting the Shawwal moon on March 19 were low. However, it said that the final decision would be made by the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee. Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorolog...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Saudi Arabia on Thursday to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East following the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to stand alongside Saudi Arabia, highlighting the deep-rooted strategic relationship between the two nations as tensions rise in the Middle East.

Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi on Wednesday said that Pakistan would be there for Saudi Arabia “before it is needed”, adding “no matter what, no matter when”. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Zaidi was asked about whether Pakistan would come to Saudi Arabia’s aid “militarily or otherwise” amid war triggered in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. “The question is not whether Pakistan might come to Saudi Arabia’s aid. Both countries, even before the strategic mutual defence agreement, have operated on a principle of being there for the other before they need the other. So, there is no question that we might; we will. No matter what, no matter when,” he said. He maintained that the “real question” was what Pakistan was doing to make sure that things did not escalate to a point where “any of its closest partners are further embroiled in a conflict that potentially undermines stability and prosperity, not just for the region at large but especially for the Pakis...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday formally requested that Saudi Arabia provide an alternative oil supply route through Yanbu to maintain its fuel supply chain in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the United States-Israel attack on Iran. The request was made by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik to the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki during a meeting. The Saudi ambassador assured full support in this regard, according to a statement by the petroleum division. During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation. The minister apprised the ambassador about the current situation and the implications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on global energy markets. He stated that Pakistan is closely monitoring the evolving situation on a daily basis, as the majority of Pakistan’s energy supplies transit through the strait. The minister emphasised that Pakistan’s government was actively endeavouring to ensure continui...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday arrived in Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Council’s (OIC) Executive Committee. The Extraordinary Open-Ended Ministerial Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee is set to be held tonight in Jeddah. It will “consider the illegal decisions of the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied West Bank”, according to the Foreign Office (FO). Dar was received at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the OIC Ambassador Fawad Sher, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq, and Consul General in Jeddah Syed Mustafa Rabbani, FO said. The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of the Israeli government approving a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation of the...

The holy month of Ramadan has officially started in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf nations, and Afghanistan, with Muslims observing their first fast today.

The Ramazan moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday night, according to Gulf News. In separate reports, the publication said that Wednesday (Feb 18) would be the first day of the holy month in both countries. The official Saudi Press Agency also said on X that Wednesday would be the first day of the holy month in the kingdom. Tolo News, meanwhile, also announced that Ramazan would begin on February 18 in Afghanistan. “In a statement issued by the Supreme Court, it said that in the provinces of Parwan, Kandahar, Helmand, and Zabul, a large number of people sighted the crescent moon of Ramadan and reported it to the Sharia courts,” it said in a post on X. Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbours Oman, Qatar and the UAE also made similar announcements. Last week, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said that the first day of Ramazan in Pakistan “likely to fall” on February 19 (Thursday). However, the agency said the final announcement regarding the beginning of the...

The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Saudi Arabia and Israel, at a point of high tensions with Iran. The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8-billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a statement. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” it said. Also in the package was a $1.8 billion sale of joint light tactical vehicles. The United States sends billions of dollars worth of military supplies per year to Israel, largely in aid rather than sales. Israel and Hamas reached a US-backed ceasefire in October that largely paused two years of war. Tensions are high elsewhere in the region as the United States deploys a major military contingent in waters near Iran. The State De...

Saudi Arabia said it hoped to have “strong, positive” ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Monday, but stressed that future relations were contingent on Abu Dhabi’s complete withdrawal from Yemen. During a press conference in Warsaw, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said Riyadh was “always keen” to have a “strong, positive relationship with the UAE”. “The UAE has now decided to leave Yemen, and I think if that indeed is the case and the UAE has completely left the issue of Yemen, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will take responsibility,” he added. “I think that will be the building block for making sure that the relationship with the UAE continues strong and continues to serve the interests not just of both countries but the region,” he said. A public row had erupted between the two countries over Yemen after UAE-backed separatists seized swathes of land late last year, including areas along the Saudi border, infuriating Riyadh. Last month, the UAE had ...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft, alongside dedicated air and ground crew, arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the multinational aerial combat Exercise Spears of Victory-2026.

A contingent of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in a multinational aerial combat exercise, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release on Monday. The PAF contingent, comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft alongside dedicated air and ground crew, arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the multinational aerial combat exercise ‘Spears of Victory 2026’. “The exercise is witnessing the participation of fighter jets and combat support elements from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America,” the ISPR said. “It offers a robust platform to enhance interoperability, operational synergy, mutual understanding and capacity building among participating air forces, particularly in large force employment, night composite air operations, integrated ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance), and operations in advanced electronic warfare enviro...

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft, along with air and ground crew, has arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia to take part in the multinational aerial combat exercise Spears of Victory-2026, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.

Pakistan has formally requested Saudi Arabia to increase its Hajj quota for 2026 to 230,000 pilgrims, in proportion to the country’s population, to allow more people to perform the pilgrimage.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will leave on Friday night for Saudi Arabia to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled for Saturday. The meeting will discuss the implications of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. “The session will address the implications of Israel’s recognition of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday. It said the deputy prime minister will share Pakistan’s position on the issue of Somaliland. On the sidelines, Dar will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from OIC member states to discuss further cooperation on regional and international issues, added the FO. Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own currency, passport and army, but has struggled to win international recognition, amid fears of provoking Somalia and encouraging other separatist movements...

ISLAMABAD - Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, Paki­stan Air Force, called on Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, and Gener­al Fayiadh bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of the Gen­eral Staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,.