ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to leave for his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia since assuming the top political office of his country during the course of this week, said information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday night.
Sharif, 70, is the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif. He was elected as prime minister on April 11 following a constitutional crisis that culminated in the ouster of Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote.
Subsequently, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to him over the phone on April 16 to congratulate him while inviting him to visit the kingdom at an early date.
The Pakistani media recently claimed Sharif would travel to the kingdom with a heavy entourage, including his 16 family members, though the country’s new information minister dismissed these reports.
“Contrary to lies being propagated by PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf], Prime Minister will be traveling to Saudi Arabia later this week on a commercial flight at his own expense,” Aurangzeb said in a Twitter post while referring to ex-PM Khan’s political party.
“Even during his 10 years as CM [chief minister] Punjab during 2008-18, he always traveled commercially and at his own expense,” she added.

Last Thursday, a senior Saudi diplomat told Arab News Sharif would visit the kingdom toward the end of the month.

"It is confirmed that Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif is visiting Saudi Arabia next week," Fawaz Abdullah Alotaemen, media director at the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad, had said.

"The visit can take place any day between April 27 to 29."

Pakistan has deep-rooted ties with Saudi Arabia, with nearly 2.5 million of its nationals living in the kingdom.
During his conversation with the Saudi crown prince, the new prime minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to further take these relations to new heights.