National Assembly (NA) Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday met the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and expressed Pakistan’s gratitude for the kingdom’s support during “a difficult time”, a statement from the NA Secretariat read.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarked on a two-day state visit to the kingdom and performed Umrah on the night of Thursday and Friday, offering prayers for the country’s success in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the government said on its X account.

During his visit, the prime minister “expressed appreciation for the kingdom’s proactive role during recent tensions between Pakistan and India, and its steadfast commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond”, according to a statement from the PM’s office.

According to the statement issued today, the Saudi crown prince expressed his commitment to addressing issues that affect the Islamic world when he met with NA Speaker Sadiq, who expressed gratitude for the kingdom’s support for Pakistan.

“Saudi Arabia has supported Pakistan in every difficult time,” Sadiq was quoted as saying. “I am grateful for the Saudi leadership’s clear stance on Pakistan. The people of Pakistan look up to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [the title held by the Saudi king].”

Sadiq added that he expects that ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will “further strengthen”.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who was also attending the luncheon, expressed his gratitude to the Saudi crown prince for the invitation to perform Haj as a royal guest.

“The exemplary arrangements for the pilgrims and the services to the Muslim Ummah are commendable,” Tessori wrote on X, adding that he extended an invitation to the crown prince to visit Pakistan.

Pakistan and India engaged in a brief military confrontation last month, following the latter’s allegations that Islamabad orchestrated a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam; an allegation Pakistan strongly denied.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Aljubeir welcomed the ceasefire between the two countries, according to a post by the Foreign Office (FO) on X.