PM Shebaz, CDF Munir to visit Saudi Arabia from Aug 6 to 8: MoFA

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and a high-level delegation will undertake an official visit to Saudi Arabia from August 6 to 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Thursday.

“PM Shehbaz will undertake an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 6–8 August 2026. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, CDF Munir, and other ministers,” MoFA said in a statement.

“During the visit, the prime minister will meet Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The discussions will focus on consolidating Pakistan-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations as well as exchanging views on regional and international developments of mutual interest,” the ministry said.

The MoFA said the visit reflects Pakistan’s longstanding partnership with Saudi Arabia, anchored in decades of mutual trust, cooperation and brotherhood.

“Although taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, the visit carries significance beyond the immediate crises and short-term considerations,” the statement added.

“The visit will further strengthen bilateral relations, deepen strategic cooperation, enhance coordination on regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reinforce multilateral cooperation,” the ministry said.

According to the MoFA, Dar will join the delegation from Madina Munawwara after a brief stopover following his visit to Jordan for the Ministerial Meeting on Jerusalem.

During the day, while addressing the weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi also confirmed that PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir will undertake an official visit to Saudi Arabia, saying the trip comes as Pakistan continues its diplomatic engagement with regional partners to support de-escalation efforts and a “comprehensive, just and lasting” resolution to conflicts in the Middle East.

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Addressing the briefing, He said Pakistan remained actively engaged with regional partners amid continuing instability in the Gulf and the Middle East.

“Pakistan will continue to actively pursue diplomatic engagements and support all sincere efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution to this conflict,” he said.

The spokesperson said Oman had “consistently played a very constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability”, adding that Pakistan “deeply appreciates Oman’s valuable contribution and its steadfast efforts to foster de-escalation and peaceful coexistence”.

He said FM Dar had remained in close contact with regional counterparts, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, with discussions covering developments in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb, Palestine and the wider region. Dar also invited his Iranian counterpart to visit Pakistan.

Highlighting Dar’s visit to Jordan earlier this week, the spokesperson said he attended the ministerial meeting on Jerusalem, which brought together Arab states and selected Islamic countries to coordinate a unified response to the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Andrabi said Pakistan’s participation reaffirmed its “steadfast support for the Palestinian people” and its commitment to “the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Dar held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Türkiye, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq and Somalia.

The spokesperson said the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also held the fifth meeting of their four-country coordination mechanism, reaffirming “their unwavering support for the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination”.

“They stressed that a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question remains essential for achieving durable peace and stability in the Middle East,” he added.

Turning to bilateral engagements, Andrabi said Pakistan and the United States held the fourth round of their Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington this week.

He said both sides reaffirmed “their joint resolve to confront terrorist organisations that endanger the safety of their citizens and the stability of the region”, specifically naming ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Pakistan and Australia also held senior officials’ political consultations and a Joint Trade Committee meeting in Canberra on August 4, reviewing cooperation across political, economic, trade and security sectors while reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.

Marking the seventh anniversary of India’s August 5, 2019 actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri people.

Responding to remarks by India’s Ministry of External Affairs on the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly elections, Andrabi said Pakistan “categorically rejects the baseless and politically motivated remarks”.

“It is not surprising that India has chosen to issue such remarks on the eve of the seventh anniversary of its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5,” he said.

He maintained that the elections in AJK were being conducted “in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner” and reflected “the democratic aspirations and political will of the people of AJK”.

“India has neither the legal standing nor the moral authority to comment on the democratic process in AJK,” he said.

The spokesperson added that “no amount of misinformation or false propaganda can alter the reality that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory”, whose final disposition must be determined in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people.

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Rejecting another statement issued by New Delhi earlier in the day defending its August 5, 2019 decision, Andrabi described it as a “self-serving eulogy” of India’s actions.

He said, “Claims of so-called development cannot substitute for the inalienable right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations”.

“We remain unwavering in our support for the just struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added, calling on India to reverse its “illegal and unilateral” measures and engage in a peaceful resolution of the dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

Asked about recent developments involving Bangladesh, the spokesperson said Pakistan’s engagement with Dhaka continued through normal diplomatic channels.

“We do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said. “The people of Bangladesh are fully capable to resolve their issues independently without external interference. We respect their sovereign choices, and we continue to cooperate with them in the journey towards progress and prosperity.”