{"id":87680,"date":"2026-10-22T16:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T16:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/?p=87680"},"modified":"2026-10-22T16:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T16:23:54","slug":"president-zardari-calls-for-stronger-economic-partnership-between-pakistan-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/10\/22\/president-zardari-calls-for-stronger-economic-partnership-between-pakistan-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"President Zardari calls for stronger economic partnership between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>At Saudi Pakistan Real Estate Expo in Lahore, President highlights investment opportunities, joint ventures and closer business ties<\/em><\/h6>\n<figure id=\"attachment_87493\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87493\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87493 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/d7e03b49-07d2-44c3-8791-3758a5916844-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87493\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By Rehan Khan Director Diplomatic &amp; International Affairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>LAHORE<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> President Asif Ali Zardari has called for translating the historic and fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia into stronger economic partnerships, increased investment and mutually beneficial business opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>The President made these remarks during his visit to the Saudi Pakistan Real Estate Expo (SPREX) at Lake City, Lahore, where he underscored the importance of strengthening economic cooperation and promoting investment between the two countries.<\/p>\n<p>Upon arrival, the President was received by Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan and Dr. Gohar Ejaz, CEO of Lake City and a member of the Saudi-Pakistan Business Council.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"President Zardari calls for stronger economic partnership between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qi5zWs4KH7E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>During the visit, the President was briefed on participating companies, their projects and potential investment opportunities in Pakistan\u2019s real estate sector. The Expo features pavilions of prominent Saudi real estate and investment companies, with participation from Prince Mansour bin Mohammed Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Business Council, and Abdul Aziz Al-Ashrafi, Vice Chairman of the Council.<\/p>\n<p>The participating Saudi companies include Safa Investment, Knowledge Economic City, Sumou Investment, Al-Majidiya, Ulo Real Estate, Al-Diyar Al-Arabiya, Bin Daood Investment and International Gate Investment.<\/p>\n<p>These companies are exploring potential investment opportunities in Pakistan while showcasing projects in Makkah and Madinah to attract Saudi investors and encourage greater cross-border investment.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87681\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-5.47.55-PM-1-1068x712.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Speaking on the occasion, President Zardari emphasised that the longstanding friendship and strategic partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia should be further strengthened through expanded economic cooperation, increased investment and closer collaboration between the private sectors of both countries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He reiterated that Saudi Arabia had consistently stood alongside Pakistan during difficult times, reflecting the enduring friendship and strategic ties between the two nations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87683\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/19d65ff2-c2e6-480c-931e-c9f1200152fb-1068x601.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The President appreciated the organisers\u2019 efforts to bring Pakistani and Saudi business communities together, noting that such initiatives could open new avenues for foreign direct investment, encourage private-sector collaboration and foster long-term economic partnerships.<\/p>\n<p>He observed that the participation of prominent Saudi business and investment groups in the Expo reflected growing opportunities for bilateral cooperation and could contribute to a new phase of development through investment, enterprise and joint ventures.<\/p>\n<p>President Zardari also underscored the importance of providing a supportive and investor-friendly environment to facilitate foreign investment in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>On the occasion, the new uniforms for Pakistan International Airlines crew were also displayed.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87684\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b2cfaf4-c721-4b37-a2ae-12e5b68bdb01-1068x601.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Saudi Pakistan Real Estate Expo in Lahore, President highlights investment opportunities, joint ventures and closer business ties LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has called for translating the historic and fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia into stronger economic partnerships, increased investment and mutually beneficial business opportunities. The President made these remarks during his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":87682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,25,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-diplomacy","category-economy","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87685,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87680\/revisions\/87685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}