Pakistan Saudi economic ties strengthened over tech, investment

February 08, 2026 (MLN): Saudi Arabia has expressed strong interest in leveraging Pakistan’s artificial intelligence and technology talent as part of its ongoing economic and technological transformation.

At the same time, both sides reviewed progress on Saudi investment commitments in Pakistan and discussed broader bilateral economic cooperation.

The development emerged during a meeting between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference 2026 for Emerging Market Economies, according to the press release.

The discussions focused on follow-ups related to Saudi investments in Pakistan and the next steps in strengthening bilateral economic ties.

The Saudi economy minister highlighted the quality of artificial intelligence and technology professionals being produced by Pakistan, describing the country as ranking among the top one or two globally in this area.

He said Saudi Arabia is keen to draw on Pakistani technology talent to lead and support the Kingdom’s ongoing technological transformation.

In this context, he referred to remarks by US businessman and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who has also acknowledged the strength and potential of Pakistani technology professionals.

Senator Aurangzeb told the meeting that Pakistan is working on plans to establish a structured pipeline of skilled human resources for key international markets, including Saudi Arabia, with the aim of generating economic benefits for both countries.

The Saudi minister also shared updates on progress related to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement and stressed the importance of prioritizing higher trade volumes and greater economic exchanges with Pakistan.

On the investment front, Senator Aurangzeb said dedicated teams from Pakistan are actively engaged in advancing the process to finalize Saudi Arabia’s investment commitments in the country.

The finance minister also acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s role in hosting the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, describing it as strategically important, and thanked Minister Alibrahim for the Kingdom’s continued engagement with Pakistan’s economy.

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