Islamabad, October 6, 2025: The Pakistan government has constituted a high-level committee to lead economic engagements and negotiations with Saudi Arabia, according to an official notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday.
The move comes amid expectations that Islamabad and Riyadh will sign a comprehensive economic pact later this month, only weeks after finalising a mutual defence agreement, marking a major deepening of their decades-old strategic and security partnership.
Pakistan’s alliance with the Kingdom—home to Islam’s holiest sites—is rooted in shared faith, strategic cooperation, and economic interdependence. Nearly 2.6 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia, making them the largest source of remittances to Pakistan.
Facing chronic balance-of-payment challenges, Islamabad has in recent months intensified efforts to boost trade and investment ties with friendly nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, which has pledged a $5 billion investment package to help shore up Pakistan’s foreign reserves.
According to the notification, the new Saudi Engagement Committee will be co-chaired by Minister for Climate Change Musadik Masood Malik and Lt Gen Sarfraz Ahmad, the National Coordinator of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)—a civil-military body overseeing major foreign investment initiatives.
“The Co-Chairs shall constitute Core/Negotiation Teams for discussions with Saudi counterparts. These teams shall be responsible for implementing and executing assigned tasks on a fast-track basis,” the notification stated.
The document further instructed that all members ensure their availability from October 6 onward, with the Prime Minister directing the SIFC to process travel approvals within one hour of submission on the same working day.
The committee will submit fortnightly progress reports to the Prime Minister, while the SIFC Secretariat will provide administrative and logistical support.
Other members of the committee include:
- Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Economic Affairs
- Awais Leghari, Minister for Power
- Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Commerce
- Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for National Food Security & Research
- Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Communications
- Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister for IT & Telecom
- Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the PM on Industries & Production
Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia remains heavily tilted in Riyadh’s favour. In 2023, Saudi exports to Pakistan were valued at around $4.65 billion, largely comprising refined petroleum and chemicals, while Pakistan’s exports to the Kingdom totalled just $138 million, mostly rice and other agricultural products.
In 2024, Pakistan’s exports rose modestly to $734 million, led by cereals and meat, while Saudi Arabia continued to dominate in petroleum and industrial goods.
Last October, Saudi and Pakistani business delegations signed 34 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth roughly $2.8 billion during a high-profile visit by Saudi investors. However, it remains unclear how many of those commitments have translated into active projects over the past year.
