Saudi Gazette report

MADINAH — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived here on Thursday to visit and pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two companions.

Upon arrival at Prince Muhammad International Airport, Sharif was received by Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman. Those who received the Pakistani prime minister also included Maj. Gen. Fahd Al-Johani, commander of Madinah region; Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Mashhan, director of police of the Madinah region; Ibrahim Berri, director of the Royal Protocol Office in the Madinah region; and a number of senior civilian and military officials.

During his maiden foreign trip after sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan earlier this month after the country’s parliament ousted his predecessor Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote, Sharif is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with the Saudi leaders.

“Today I am embarking on a visit to Saudi Arabia to renew and reaffirm our bonds of brotherhood and friendship,” Sharif said in a statement on his Twitter account on Thursday, adding that the country “has a special place in all our hearts”.

Talks are expected to focus “on advancing economic, trade and investment ties and creation of greater opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in Saudi Arabia”, according to a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry. Saudi Arabia hosts more than two million Pakistanis, the statement added.