Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, signed the agreement in New York on the sidelines of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly session.
Under the agreement, Pakistani citizens holding diplomatic and official passports will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia without obtaining a visa, Dar said.
In a post on X, Dar described the agreement as an important step towards facilitating high-level engagement and institutional exchanges between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He said the move would also contribute to strengthening the two countries’ “enduring and brotherly strategic partnership” across areas of mutual interest.
The visa waiver is the latest step in efforts by Islamabad and Riyadh to deepen their economic, political and strategic ties.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan wanted to transform its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership.
His remarks came during a meeting with a high-level Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pak Joint Business Council.
The Saudi delegation expressed interest in investment opportunities in agriculture, ports, highways, airport outsourcing, real estate, energy, power distribution and information technology.
The two countries have also expanded their security and defence cooperation. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, establishing a framework for collective security cooperation.
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee formed under the agreement held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, with the three countries agreeing to institutionalise cooperation under the pact.
The latest visa arrangement is expected to simplify official travel and facilitate greater interaction between government institutions in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
