Web Desk: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement removing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports, in the latest step to facilitate government-to-government engagement between the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan signed the agreement on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and Dar’s social media post.
The arrangement applies to specific categories of official passport holders and does not constitute a general visa-free travel agreement for Pakistani or Saudi citizens.
Dar said the agreement would make high-level contacts and institutional exchanges between the two countries easier, while supporting cooperation across areas of shared interest.
The deal comes as Islamabad and Riyadh have expanded cooperation across economic, agricultural and security sectors. The two governments have also stepped up diplomatic exchanges and efforts to deepen their broader strategic relationship.
In August, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, establishing a framework for closer defence cooperation and collective security. The accord states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.
During a separate meeting in New York, Dar and Prince Faisal also discussed the implementation of the Makkah defence agreement, while Pakistan expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on the kingdom, the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministers reaffirmed the importance of continued coordination on regional security and agreed to maintain high-level diplomatic contacts on bilateral and regional issues.
The latest discussions come amid heightened security tensions involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement. Reuters reported last week that Türkiye had said it was prepared to help meet Saudi military requirements under the Makkah agreement as Houthi attacks intensified.
Pakistan has also publicly reiterated its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security. On Sept. 18, Inter-Services Public Relations chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Islamabad would take necessary measures to defend the kingdom, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif separately said Pakistan would support Saudi Arabia through diplomatic and practical means if the Yemen conflict escalated.
The visa agreement adds to a series of initiatives aimed at expanding Pakistan-Saudi cooperation.
The two countries have recently focused on increasing Pakistani agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia, while Riyadh has introduced measures affecting travel by Pakistani visitors, including a multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity.
Meanwhile, the latest agreement is expected to simplify official travel for diplomats and other authorized government representatives, potentially allowing more frequent institutional contacts between Islamabad and Riyadh.
The signing took place as both countries continued efforts to strengthen political, economic and security ties amid wider instability in the Middle East.
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