ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has requested Saudi Arabia to include Chinese vaccines to its list of approved COVID-19 shots for visitors traveling to the kingdom to perform Hajj and Umrah, foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said on Saturday.
"Pakistan has taken up with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the issue of vaccines which are mandatory for travel to Saudi Arabia for visit, Umrah and Hajj," Chaudhri said in response to media queries on the issue. "We have proposed inclusion of some of the Chinese vaccines used in Pakistan in the list of vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities."
"The Ministry [of Foreign Affairs] is actively pursuing this matter with the Saudi side," he continued.
Saudi Arabia's new vaccine condition has raised questions for Pakistani nationals who intend to visit the kingdom for pilgrimage or other purposes.
According to media reports, people who have not been administered Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson shots may need to quarantine themselves for a substantial period on arriving in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan has mostly administered Chinese vaccines to its citizens in a government-run immunization campaign that began last February.
The country only started using AstraZeneca to inoculate its citizens after receiving 1.2 million doses of the vaccine earlier this month under the World Health Organization's COVAX program for equitable distribution of COVID-19 shots among developing nations.
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis visit Saudi Arabia annually, mostly for pilgrimage. The kingdom is also home to a large Pakistani diaspora community that makes the largest contribution to its homeland's incoming remittances every year.
Pakistan discusses with Saudi Arabia approval of Chinese vaccines for Hajj pilgrims
https://arab.news/jjc9b
Pakistan discusses with Saudi Arabia approval of Chinese vaccines for Hajj pilgrims
- Media reports suggest people may have to quarantine themselves upon arriving in the kingdom if they have not taken shots developed in the US or Western Europe
- Pakistan has mostly used Chinese vaccines to run its immunization campaign that began last February and has only now started administering AstraZeneca to its citizens
Pakistan says defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated brotherly ties to ‘new heights’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed strategic defense pact last year pledging aggression against one will be treated as attack on both
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form vital pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated its brotherly ties with the Kingdom to “new heights,” stressing that close ties with Arab and Islamic nations form a key pillar of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17 last year, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
Both nations agreed in October 2025 to launch an economic cooperation framework to strengthen trade and investment ties.
“In the Middle East, our landmark Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia has elevated our brotherly ties to new heights,” Dar said while speaking at the Pakistan Governance Forum 2026 event in Islamabad.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister was speaking on the topic “Navigating International Relations Amidst Changing Geo-Politics.”
Dar noted that Pakistan has reinforced partnerships with other Middle Eastern nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. He said these partnerships have yielded “concrete agreements” in investment, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
“Our enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form a vital pillar of our foreign policy, and we will continue to expand our partnerships across Asia, Latin America, and Africa,” he said.
Dar pointed out that the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have undertaken visits to Pakistan in recent months, reflecting Central Asian nations’ desire to boost cooperation with Islamabad.
On South Asia, the Pakistani deputy PM said Pakistan has successfully transformed its fraternal ties with Bangladesh into “a substantive partnership.”
“Similarly, the trilateral mechanism involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has been launched with a view to expanding and deepening regional cooperation and synergy,” the Pakistani minister said.
He said Islamabad has strengthened its “all-weather” partnership with China via the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement and “unwavering support” from both sides for each other’s core interests.
Dar said Pakistan had also reinvigorated its partnership with the US, advancing cooperation in trade, technology, investment, and regional stability.
“This calibrated approach has enhanced our ability to navigate complexity with skill and confidence, ensuring that our national interests are served without compromising our core foreign policy principles,” he said.
