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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hosted a Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammed bin Saad Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, as both sides held talks in Islamabad to expand trade and investment ties.

The delegation’s visit under the framework of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council will guide expanded economic cooperation and follows the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed between the two countries on Sept. 17.

Speaking at a luncheon in honor of the delegation, Sharif praised ������Ƶ’s “unwavering and eternal” support for Pakistan, saying the recently signed defense pact had formalized decades of strategic partnership between the two nations and opened the door to deeper economic collaboration.

“And the agreement which we have signed, it’s basically a formalization of our brotherly arrangements which were there in an informal fashion for decades and that has been formalized and I think since we are brothers and brothers has always come to help brothers and that is what this agreement all about,” Sharif said.

The prime minister described his recent visit to Riyadh on last month as “exceptional,” saying it reflected a “new level of warmth” from Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, whose leadership, he said, had transformed the Kingdom’s society and economy.

Sharif said both sides were now ready to translate the defense pact’s spirit of cooperation into joint ventures across trade, agriculture, food security, construction, and research, pledging to personally work with Saudi leaders and investors to deliver results.

The Saudi delegation, comprising prominent business figures, was in Islamabad to follow up on investment and trade opportunities identified during Sharif’s visit to Riyadh last month. Prince Mansour told participants that ������Ƶ’s government and private sector were keen to invest in Pakistan’s food security, agriculture, meat processing, construction, and pharmaceutical industries.

“We have lots of interest from our government and from our leadership and also for the private sector to be invested in Pakistan,” Prince Mansour said, adding that the visit aimed to “deliver on strategic projects” under the business council’s framework.

The meeting is part of a broader diplomatic and economic reset between Islamabad and Riyadh, which have in recent months expanded cooperation across defense, investment, and labor mobility, as Pakistan seeks to strengthen ties with its largest source of remittances and one of its closest regional allies. 

ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said on Wednesday he had stepped down on the instructions of party leader and former prime minister Imran Khan, ending weeks of speculation about a leadership change.

The news comes amid mounting criticism of the provincial government’s handling of law and order. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, governed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party since 2013, has faced a sharp resurgence of militant activity in recent months, with officials reporting record casualties among security forces.

In a statement, Gandapur said he had resigned on Khan’s direction. 

“The position of chief minister was a trust given to me by Imran Khan,” he said. “On his instructions, I am returning that trust to him and submitting my resignation.”

Gandapur’s departure marks a major internal shake-up in Khan’s party, which continues to dominate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa politics despite facing crackdowns and leadership challenges since Khan’s ouster as prime minister in 2022. Khan himself has been in jail since 2023 and faces a slew of legal challenges he says are politically motivated to keep him away from public office.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said Gandapur had been removed by Khan, linking it to the deteriorating security situation in KP.

“It is true, Sohail Afridi will be the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in place of Ali Amin Gandapur,” Raja told reporters.

Afridi is a PTI lawmaker from Khyber district, part of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. A longtime loyalist of Khan, Afridi was elected to the provincial assembly in 2024 and is considered part of PTI’s younger leadership circle. 

He has maintained close ties with the party’s central leadership and has been an advocate for stronger provincial oversight of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces are battling a resurgence of militant activity. Afridi’s expected elevation is seen within PTI as a move to restore control and stability in the province after months of political friction.

Raja said Gandapur’s removal was linked to the worsening security situation in the province, particularly a deadly assault in Orakzai district in which 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, were killed during an intelligence-based operation on Wednesday.

“Khan sahib is very sad,” Raja said. “The incident that happened in Orakzai … there is no choice for him now but to do the change.”

Gandapur, a senior PTI figure and former federal minister, had been serving as chief minister since March last year. His tenure was marked by friction with both the federal government and factions within his own party, particularly over administrative control and political appointments. He had also publicly sparred with Aleema Khan, the former premier’s sister, over party influence in the province.