Islamabad, October 8, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hosted a high-level Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammed bin Saad Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, as both sides held talks in Islamabad to deepen trade, investment, and strategic cooperation.
The visit — held under the framework of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council — comes shortly after the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed between the two countries on September 17, marking a new chapter in bilateral relations that now extends beyond defense into economic, technological, and industrial collaboration.
Addressing a luncheon in honor of the delegation, Prime Minister Shehbaz hailed Saudi Arabia’s “unwavering and eternal support” for Pakistan, calling the recently signed defense pact “a formalization of decades of brotherly ties” between the two nations.
“The agreement we have signed is a formalization of our brotherly arrangements which existed informally for decades,” Sharif said. “Brothers have always come to help brothers — and that’s what this agreement is all about.”
Sharif described his recent visit to Riyadh as “exceptional,” noting that it reflected a new era of warmth and cooperation under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), whose vision, he said, had “transformed the Kingdom’s society and economy.”
The prime minister emphasized that Pakistan was ready to translate the defense pact’s spirit of partnership into tangible economic ventures, including joint projects in trade, agriculture, food security, construction, and research. He pledged to personally oversee coordination with Saudi leaders and investors to ensure “visible progress and mutual benefit.”
Prince Mansour, leading the Saudi delegation of top business figures, reaffirmed Riyadh’s keen interest in Pakistan’s food security, agriculture, meat processing, construction, and pharmaceutical sectors.
“We have great interest from our government, our leadership, and the private sector to invest in Pakistan,” the prince said, adding that the visit aimed to “deliver on strategic projects” and accelerate investment opportunities identified during Prime Minister Shehbaz’s recent visit to Riyadh.
Officials said the talks are part of a broader diplomatic and economic reset between Islamabad and Riyadh. In recent months, the two nations have expanded cooperation across defense, investment, labor mobility, and energy, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s position as Pakistan’s largest source of remittances and one of its most trusted regional allies.
Both sides expressed confidence that the outcomes of the Saudi delegation’s visit would lay the foundation for a “new era of strategic and economic partnership”, aligning Pakistan’s development goals with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 framework.
