What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Thursday 12 March 2026 for a one-day official visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, his office said.
At the Royal Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport the premier was received by the deputy governor of the Makkah region, Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, and Pakistan’s ambassador to Riyadh, Ahmad Farooq. The Prime Minister’s Office said he would stay in the kingdom for a few hours and return after meeting the crown prince, with discussions covering the regional situation, regional security and bilateral relations.
Why it matters
The visit is the most visible step in a diplomatic push Pakistan has mounted since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and drawing Iranian retaliation against US bases and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tehran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices sharply higher.
At his weekly briefing in Islamabad the same day, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan was positioning itself as a “bridge builder” as it engaged regional capitals to keep channels open. He said Pakistan had condemned both the attacks on Iran and the retaliatory strikes on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and had voiced concern over attacks targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
Andrabi said the prime minister had spoken by telephone with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Türkiye, Lebanon, Malaysia and Azerbaijan, and that Dar had spoken repeatedly with Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. On 11 March, the premier spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering condolences over Khamenei’s killing and congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on assuming the leadership.
Pakistan’s mediation rests on three stated principles: respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, adherence to the UN Charter and international law, and renewed dialogue, Andrabi said. He also confirmed that two Pakistani nationals had been killed in the UAE and said the Foreign Ministry’s crisis management unit and regional missions were assisting stranded citizens.
The diplomacy runs alongside Pakistan’s defence commitments. Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman last week under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September, and Saudi air defences intercepted two drones heading for the Shaybah oil field on 12 March, according to Geo News.
What is still uncertain
Whether the visits and calls produce a durable de-escalation, or merely keep Pakistan’s lines open while the war continues, remains unclear. Andrabi gave no indication of a concrete mediation proposal, and repeated that Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan was unchanged pending “verifiable assurances” that Afghan territory would not be used against Pakistan. He also raised concern over a new Canada-India uranium supply agreement.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-03-12.
- Geo News — PM Shehbaz reaches Saudi Arabia to discuss Mideast tensions, security with MBS12 March 2026 · Jeddah arrival, the PMO statement, and the Munir–Khalid bin Salman meeting.
- Associated Press of Pakistan — Pakistan urges restraint, diplomacy amid Middle East crisis: FO Spox12 March 2026 · Foreign Office briefing on the Saudi visit, the "bridge builder" role, the two citizens killed in the UAE and the Afghanistan and Canada-India positions.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Transcript of the press briefing by the spokesperson, Thursday 12 March 202612 March 2026 · Primary record of the briefing, including the Saudi visit and the prime minister's calls with regional leaders.
