Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned home on Saturday after concluding an official visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he signed a trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement opens new avenues for military cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, and is expected to further strengthen ties between the three countries.

During his stay, Shehbaz performed Umrah and travelled to Madinah, where he paid his respects at Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) in the Prophet’s Mosque.

At Madinah Airport, he was seen off by the Governor of Madinah, Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi accompanied Shehbaz during the visit.