ISLAMABAD: Pakistan eagerly awaits the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is set to arrive in Islamabad today on a two-day official visit to Pakistan upon the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The crown prince will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including members of the Saudi royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen.
This will be the first official visit of the dignitary to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of crown prince in April 2017. During his visit, he will meet President Dr. Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A delegation of Pakistan’s Senate will also call on the crown prince and discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
During his stay, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture and sports. The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.
The Saudi ministers accompanying the crown prince will meet their counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation in their respective fields.
Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been made in the federal capital to accord a rousing and unprecedentedly warm welcome to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his entourage upon their arrival into Pakistan.
Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad on Friday that the government has finalized arrangements to welcome the crown prince and that Prime Minister Imran Khan would personally receive him at Nur Khan Airbase.
“A fleet of Pakistan Air Force jets would escort his airplanes as they enter the country’s airspace. The crown prince would be given a 21 gun salute at the airport,” Pakistan’s state run news agency APP quoted Chaudhry.
Big portraits of the crown prince, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi have been erected on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad. Banners and posters inscribed with slogans of Pak-Saudi friendship and fraternity have also been put on display along the roads.
Pakistan’s top government and opposition party officials have also released warm welcome messages for the Saudi crown prince.
Opposition leader in the National Assembly and President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, who has longstanding ties with the Saudi royal family, welcomed the crown prince’s visit on twitter.
In a tweet released by his official party page, Sharif said that the economic relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was in the interests of both the countries and of the Muslim Ummah.
In a statement, former President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People’s Party [PPP] said the party and the Bhutto family welcomed the prince’s visit and expressed hope for further improvement in bilateral relations, calling Saudi Arabia, “a very creditable and respectable friend of our country and its people.”
“Saudi Arabia has always stood by Pakistan in moments of need and will hopefully continue to do so,” he said.
Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Islamabad today
Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Islamabad today
- He will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including members of the Saudi royal family
- Elaborate arrangements have been made in the federal capital to accord an unprecedentedly warm welcome
Pakistan says Panda bond launch to diversify funding, avoid overreliance on dollar
- Pakistan has said it plans to issue its first-ever yuan-denominated Panda bond in January 2026
- Pakistan minister identifies agriculture, minerals, AI as key areas to attract Chinese investment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that launching its first-ever Panda bond would allow Islamabad to diversify its external financing sources away from overreliance on the US dollar, the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has said it aims to launch the Panda bond— a yuan-denominated bond issued in China’s domestic market— by January next year. This highlights Pakistan’s efforts to find alternatives to dollar-denominated borrowing as global financial conditions tighten and Islamabad looks to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Panda bonds are renminbi-denominated instruments sold to Chinese investors by foreign governments or companies, offering issuers access to China’s deep domestic capital markets while reducing exposure to foreign-exchange volatility.
“He said the [Panda bond] issuance would allow Pakistan to tap into the second-largest and second-deepest capital market in the world, helping diversify funding sources away from overreliance on the US dollar by complementing existing access to euro and sukuk markets,” the Finance Division said.
Aurangzeb was speaking to the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Finance Division said.
The finance minister acknowledged Pakistan had “previously underutilized” the opportunity to take advantage of the Panda bond, expressing optimism about investor interest in the Chinese market.
He said Pakistan remains hopeful of launching the bond ahead of the Chinese New Year, calling it a “landmark development” in the country’s external financing strategy.
In response to a question about Pakistan’s economic priorities, Aurangzeb identified agriculture, minerals and mining, artificial intelligence and digital economy as key areas where Islamabad could attract Chinese investment.
“He emphasized that beyond capital flows, this phase of cooperation places strong emphasis on knowledge transfer and technical support,” the Finance Division said.
