ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah Saturday night, after arriving in Saudi Arabia on his first foreign visit since getting elected Pakistan’s chief executive last month, his office said. 

Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia for a three-day official visit on Saturday where he is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his office had confirmed. He is accompanied by his niece and Punjab chief minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, as well as the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, economic affairs, defense and information. 

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday night offered Isha prayers and nawafil at Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (peace be upon him),” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. 

Sharif paid his respects at the prophet’s burial chamber and prayed for the progress and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah, it added. 

“He offered special prayers for the oppressed Muslims of Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the PMO said. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top destination for remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.

Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday that Sharif’s visit would last from April 6-8. It said Sharif and the Saudi crown prince are expected to discuss regional and global developments, and “mutually rewarding economic and investment relations.”

Sharif last traveled to Saudi Arabia during his first term as PM in October 2022. He met the crown prince during that visit and also attended the Saudi Future Investment Initiative Summit.