Saudi Air Force escorts PM Shehbaz Sharif’s jets on arrival in Riyadh
When Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Riyadh this week, the Saudis gave him the kind of welcome that leaves no room for doubt about how much they value the relationship. As soon as his plane entered Saudi airspace, a formation of F-15 fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Force pulled alongside and escorted him in. That’s not something you see every day—it’s usually reserved for close allies or special occasions.
Saudi Air Force escorts PM Shehbaz Sharif’s jets on arrival in Riyadh
At King Khalid International Airport, the reception was equally grand. There was a 21-gun salute, soldiers lined up in full ceremonial dress, and Pakistani flags flying along the route. It was very deliberate, meant to send a message both to Pakistanis watching back home and to anyone else paying attention in the region.
The welcome wasn’t just for optics. Shehbaz was accompanied by some of his most senior ministers and people like Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, and Musadik Malik. So clearly this trip is about more than just photo ops. The delegation is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace, where they’ll go over trade, investment, energy projects, and probably regional politics too.
Gestures like the fighter jet escort matter in diplomacy. They show respect, but they also hint at the deeper layers of the relationship. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long had close military and economic ties. Both sides want to keep that bond visible, especially given all the shifting alliances and rivalries in the Middle East and South Asia right now. For Pakistan, it’s also a way of signaling at home that the government has the trust and backing of one of its most important partners.
So, while it may look like just pomp and ceremony, there’s a lot more behind it. These symbolic acts set the tone for the visit. The real work happens behind closed doors, but the message was already loud and clear before Shehbaz even stepped off the plane: Riyadh is rolling out the red carpet.
