ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a “restricted meeting” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah and assured the Kingdom of Pakistan’s “full solidarity and support,” Sharif’s office said, amid an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Sharif’s brief visit to the Kingdom came at a time of increased volatility in the region, following United States-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s counterattacks on US bases in several Gulf countries as well as on commercial and oil infrastructure, raising fears of a wider war.
The Pakistani premier, who was accompanied by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport by the Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal and other officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
During their meeting, Sharif and the Saudi crown prince held an in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the region and agreed to work together for regional peace and stability, according to the Pakistan PM’s office.
“The Prime Minister assured His Royal Highness that Pakistan would always stand firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and strive for their mutual desire for peace in the region,” Sharif’s office said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on March 12, 2026. (Government of Pakistan)
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia shot down drones overnight Friday targeting the Kingdom’s east and central regions, and Shaybah oil field in the southeast earlier, the Ministry of Defense said in a series of posts on X.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have faced waves of Iranian missile and drone attacks since Israel and the US launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28. The attacks have targeted Prince Sultan Air Base, the US embassy in Riyadh, oil fields and energy infrastructure.
Ahead of Sharif’s visit to Jeddah, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that Pakistan is positioning itself as a “bridge builder” to help ease rising tensions in the Middle East.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad has been in regular contact with capitals across the region since the crisis erupted and is trying to keep channels of communication open.
He said Prime Minister Sharif’s visit to Riyadh should be seen as part of ongoing coordination between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on regional stability.
Earlier this week, Sharif’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi told Bloomberg TV that Islamabad would come to Riyadh’s aid whenever required, emphasizing the longstanding security partnership between the two countries, which was further strengthened by a mutual defense pact signed in September last year.
There was “no question we might, we will” come to Saudi Arabia’s aid “no matter what and no matter when,” Zaidi said. “Both countries, even before the defense agreement, have always operated on the principle of being there for the other.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have historically maintained close military and strategic ties, and the new agreement elevated their security cooperation at a time of heightened regional instability.
