Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied by a high-level delegation, left Islamabad on Thursday following a daylong visit in which he had a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The crown prince was seen off at the Nur Khan Airbase by Federal Minister for Power, Petroleum & Natural Resources Omar Ayub, DawnNewsTV reported.

Earlier, PM Imran Khan had received the crown prince at the Nur Khan Airbase alongside various government officials, including Omar Ayub.

Setting aside protocol, Prime Minister Imran personally drove the crown prince, who on Tuesday was announced by Russia Today TV as the Arab world's most influential leader of 2019, from the airbase. This, however, is not the first time the premier has gotten behind the wheel for a foreign dignitary.

The crown prince held a one-on-one meeting with PM Imran followed by a luncheon hosted by the premier.

In a tweet via his official account, Sheikh Mohamed said he met his "friend Prime Minister Imran Khan" and discussed "regional and international issues of mutual interest as well as ways to enhance bilateral ties".

The crown prince, according to a diplomatic source, had been in Pakistan for the past few days for houbara bustard hunting.

UAE’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Alzaabi, while announcing the Islamabad leg of the crown prince’s trip, had said it would be a daylong official visit for "strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two brotherly countries".

The Emirati ruler last visited Pakistan on January 6, 2019, just weeks after his country offered $3 billion to support Pakistan's battered economy.

His visit today came on the heels of Pakistan pulling out of the Kuala Lumpur summit in Malaysia apparently over reservations by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following the summit, had said that it was not the first time that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had put pressure on a country for doing or not doing certain things.

Editorial

Updated 09 Aug, 2026

Makkah agreement

IN the midst of a gruelling war between the US and Iran — currently at a stalemate — the signing of the Makkah...
09 Aug, 2026

Conflicting priorities

THERE is a reasonable argument that the democratic process must go on regardless of prevailing conditions; that...
09 Aug, 2026

FIFA controversy

FIFA PRESIDENT Gianni Infantino is at the centre of a storm of his own making. Even after a crisis meeting in...
Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Danger ahead

PAKISTAN has already paid a heavy human price this monsoon, even as another dangerous spell approaches. NDMA figures...
08 Aug, 2026

Israeli impunity

ANY hope that Hamas’s decision to disarm would lead to a breakthrough has been dashed for one simple reason:...
Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Flawed investigations

An inaccurate record of a victim’s wounds hinders the dispensation of justice. Medical examiners in such a critical area cannot cut corners.