PM Shehbaz assures Saudi crown prince of firm support during challenging times

• PM reiterates strong solidarity with Saudi Crown Prince MBS.
• Two leaders discuss recent developments, regional security.
• Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to continue to promote peace together.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for Saudi Arabia, as he told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Islamabad would stand firmly with the Kingdom during challenging times and continue working with it for peace in the region.

Pakistan has intensified diplomacy following the ongoing Middle East escalation — triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, martyring its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. PM Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar have since been in constant contact with their counterparts in the region as well as in the Gulf nations, playing a role in easing the regional tensions.

The latest engagement came on PM Shehbaz’s brief trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he held a restricted meeting with Crown Prince MBS. The two leaders discussed recent regional developments and the need for close cooperation to promote stability across the Middle East.

At the start of the meeting, the minister conveyed his respectful regards to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s longstanding support for Pakistan.

Senior Pakistani officials, including DPM Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, were also present during the meeting.

According to the official handout, the two sides held detailed discussions on the evolving regional situation and agreed to maintain close coordination in efforts aimed at ensuring peace and stability.

“The Prime Minister expressed Pakistan’s full solidarity and support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in these challenging times,” the PM’s media wing said.

The premier said Pakistan values its longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia and will continue striving for the shared goal of regional harmony.

“The prime minister assured His Royal Highness that Pakistan would always stand firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and strive for their mutual desire for peace in the region,” it added. 

Following the high-level interaction in Jeddah, PM Shehbaz made his way back to Pakistan.

It may be noted that, CDF Field Marshal Munir and Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman also held a meeting last week, in which the two sides discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom within the framework of the joint strategic defence agreement between the two nations.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the landmark Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) in September last year, which treats an attack on either nation as an act of aggression against both.

In response to the US-Israeli aggression, Iran has targeted US bases and other targets in the Gulf nations, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, and has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, skyrocketing the price of oil — and warned that the world should be ready for $200 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia intercepted two drones headed towards the Shaybah oil field on Thursday, as Iran targets the facility again in its campaign to disrupt global energy markets.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia confirmed that it had prevented several drone attacks against the facility, which is crucial to the country’s oil production.

Although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed regret over strikes in regional countries, Tehran has maintained that it will target those sites which are used to launch attacks on its soil.