ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 15, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart for an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, his office said, as Islamabad continues feverish rounds of diplomacy aimed at facilitating US-Iran peace talks.

"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will depart from Islamabad for Jeddah today on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, accompanied by a high-level delegation," said a brief statement from his office.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share close ties, and the Gulf kingdom is one of Washington's regional allies to have come under attack by Iran since the outbreak of the war in February.

Islamabad's finance ministry announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would provide Pakistan with $3 billion to help bolster the country's foreign reserves.

That support came days after Pakistan said it was returning billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the UAE.

"Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, has informed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed USD 3 billion in additional deposits, with disbursement expected in the coming week," the ministry said in a statement.

Aurangzeb, who is in Washington for the International Monetary Fund's annual Spring Meetings, added that an existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would also be extended for an unspecified period.