Makkah: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of his high-level delegation performed Umrah in Makkah early on Friday, August 7, during their official visit to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.
Before performing Umrah, the delegation entered the Holy Kaaba, where they offered prayers, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Following the pilgrimage, the delegation offered prayers for Pakistan’s prosperity, the well-being of the Muslim Ummah, and peace and stability across the region and the world.
Sharif’s visit to the Kingdom runs from Thursday, August 6, to Saturday, August 8, and includes talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions are expected to cover bilateral relations, economic and defence cooperation, and key regional and international developments.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has described the visit as another step towards strengthening the long-standing relationship between Islamabad and Riyadh, with both sides expected to explore ways to expand cooperation across multiple sectors.
The visit comes at a time of growing instability in West Asia, with Gulf countries increasing coordination on regional security.
Pakistan has recently sought to support diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 18. Islamabad has also backed Saudi Arabia’s proposed Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition aimed at protecting commercial shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The two countries have further strengthened defence ties under their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, which became operational earlier this year, expanding collaboration in military training, defence coordination and broader security cooperation.
