ISLAMABAD: Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mutair, commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF), on Monday called on Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and discussed with him regional situation among other affairs of mutual interest, the Pakistani military said. 

The meeting was held at the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing. 

Upon arrival at the GHQ, a smartly turned-out contingent of Pakistan Army presented guard of honor to the visiting dignitary. 

“During the meeting, both sides discussed various areas of mutual interest including cooperation in the fields of defense, security, military training as well as regional situation and the ongoing conflict in Middle East,” the ISPR said in a statement. 

The meeting came as a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours on Monday. The pause that began Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return.

Attention now has turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early Tuesday, weeks after Hamas militants poured across the border on October 7 and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan Army’s role in fighting militancy and paid rich tribute to the sacrifices made in bringing peace to the region, according to the statement. 

The army chief thanked the Saudi military commander and said Pakistan “deeply values” its strategic and brotherly ties with the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have cordial cultural, defense and economic ties, deeply rooted in history and religion. The relations between armed forces of the two countries are characterized by extensive defense cooperation and coordination across various domains. 

The Kingdom is also home to over two million Pakistanis, making it the largest contributor to remittance inflows into the South Asian country and one of the key strategic and economic partners of Pakistan.