RELATIONS between the most brotherly and friendly important countries of Islamic world, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are getting stronger and strengthened with the passage of time following frequent visits of top leadership and delegations to each other’s country. Quite obviously following Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s another visit to Saudi Arabia in a month, Pak-Saudi bilateral ties as well as economic partnership was getting stronger and deeper.
PM Shehbaz Sharif had first visited Saudi Arabia in the first week of April 2024 to perform Umrah and had held an important meeting also with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman in Makkah and had reached some understanding for promoting mutual relations and enhancing Saudi Arabia investment in different sectors. It was worth mentioning here that within a week of his visit, on the special directions of the Crown Prince a high level delegation from Saudi Arabia had visited Pakistan and explored possibilities of their country’s investment in different sectors of this country.
The Prime Minister paid another three-day visit to Saudi Arabia towards the end of last month to attend World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting on “Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development” in Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince/Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The PM was accompanied by a delegation including Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb among others. He also held another important meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince. He thanked him for sending a high level delegation to Pakistan and said that he has brought a high level delegation for follow up meetings.
While addressing the Forum and holding meetings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), world-renowned charitable figure Bill Gates, and a number of world leaders on the sidelines of the WEF, PM Shehbaz said that the government was in the process of implementing deep-rooted structural reforms. He highlighted the huge investment potentials that can be explored and utilized by prospective investors. He termed global inequality in health as the foremost problem and emphasized that Pak-Saudi economic ties were entering a new era with steps to boost trade. He reiterated the commitment to revive Pakistan’s economy through bold and active measures. He categorically made it clear that there could be no peace in the world without establishing durable and lasting peace in Gaza.
He also held meetings with a number of Saudi Ministers for Investment, Industry and Finance, who called him “Man of Action” and assured him of full support to Pakistan, which was a priority for their investment. A delegation of Saudi investors will soon be visiting Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia will continue to cooperate in the fields of agriculture, information technology, and energy. In his meetings with world leaders, the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister availed the opportunity to emphatically promote mutual cooperation in multilateral sectors as well as trade and investment.
The Premier said that his visit will be helpful in accelerating the pace of economic partnership between the two countries ,resolve to continue making all-out efforts to positively materialize the understanding reached between the top leadership of both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan pointedly stating that economic partnership between them have heralded a new era of bilateral relations. A delegation of Saudi businessmen/investors was visiting Pakistan shortly and in this regard the federal government was making brisk preparations appropriately for fully utilizing the visiting delegation for promoting Saudi investment in different sectors.
It may be pointedly stated here that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy several decades old strong trade, defence and cultural ties. Both countries have been closely working for increasing bilateral trade and investment deals and Saudi leadership has only recently reaffirmed its commitment for expediting an investment package worth $ 5 billion. The Prime Minister’s visit has provided him an opportunity to promote bilateral relations with the world leaders present but also to further strengthen existing brotherly and friendly relations with Saudi leadership which has always been responding positively and promptly to help Pakistan and its people in every difficult situation whatever it may be. Undoubtedly, it was quite a successful and result -oriented visit of PM Shehbaz Sharif who had gone through tirelessly hectic engagements and activities.
—The writer is Lahore-based contributing columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan.
Email: zahidriffat @gmail.com
