Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan next month for trade talks after defence pact

• Saudi business delegation set to visit Pakistan.
• SIFC to facilitate Saudi business delegation visit.
• Kingdom to establish dedicated commercial desk at LCCI.

Following the historic defence agreement, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have launched efforts to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

According to official sources, a high-level Saudi business delegation, comprising leading businessmen and industrialists, is scheduled to visit Pakistan next month. The visit is being facilitated by Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) under a broader initiative to boost investment and trade with the Kingdom, The News reported on Saturday. 

Riyadh and Islamabad signed the mutual defence pact on September 17, significantly strengthening a decades-old security partnership, a week after Israel's strikes on Qatar upended the diplomatic calculus in the region.

The deal was signed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, where Pakistan's top official was accorded a warm welcome.

In preparation for the upcoming visit, senior officials from the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad held a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) with its President, Mian Abu Zar Shad.

During the meeting, Saudi Commercial Attaché Naif bin Abdulaziz Al-Harbi announced that the Kingdom will establish a dedicated commercial desk at the LCCI to streamline bilateral trade initiatives and foster business linkages.

Highlighting Pakistan’s untapped economic potential, Al-Harbi emphasised that Saudi Arabia is committed to extending all possible support to enhance trade ties. He also revealed plans to facilitate the direct export of Pakistani goods to Saudi Arabia, eliminating existing third-party channels — particularly through Europe — thus reducing costs and improving efficiency.

“Our aim is to create structured policies that not only strengthen economic cooperation but also enhance people-to-people connections between the two nations,” said Al-Harbi.

Sources further revealed that during the visit, the Saudi delegation will engage in B2B meetings with leading business figures from across Punjab. Special sessions are being planned in collaboration with the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. There is also a strong possibility that representatives from chambers across the province will be brought together at LCCI to interact with the Saudi business leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Mian Abu Zar Shad stressed the importance of trade over aid. “Pakistan doesn’t need aid — it needs trade,” he remarked. He also proposed reviving the maritime ferry service that operated between the two countries in the 1960s to facilitate movement and boost commerce.

The Saudi delegation’s visit is expected to serve as a catalyst for a new era of economic collaboration, building the strategic defence cooperation recently agreed between Islamabad and Riyadh.