Pakistan and Saudi Arabia pledge close coordination after Red Sea tanker attacks

-- PM condemns Houthi attacks, reaffirms Pakistan's full support for Saudi Arabia

-- Shehbaz, MBS discuss regional security, maritime stability

-- Premier calls population growth Pakistan's biggest national challenge

-- Govt targets halving population growth rate by Year 2035

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday strongly condemned the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea during a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, reaffirming Pakistan's unwavering support for the Kingdom's security and sovereignty.

During what was described as a cordial conversation, the prime minister termed the attacks "totally unacceptable", saying they violated international law, threatened freedom of navigation and commercial shipping, and undermined regional peace, security and stability.

He expressed Pakistan's complete solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stating that he, along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the people of Pakistan, stood firmly with the Saudi leadership during this critical period.

Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the Kingdom's security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity, assuring the Saudi crown prince that Islamabad would continue working closely with Riyadh and the international community to ensure peace, stability and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime trade through the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appreciated Pakistan's steadfast support and praised the longstanding fraternal ties between the two countries.

The prime minister also conveyed his warm regards and best wishes to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz chaired a high-level meeting on population welfare, stressing the need to align population planning with national development, economic stability and human resource development.

Describing rapid population growth as one of Pakistan's greatest challenges, he said population control and welfare should be treated as a national responsibility and directed authorities to convene a meeting of the National Population Council at the earliest.

Officials informed the meeting that the National Stabilisation Plan 2026–2035 was being finalised with the objective of reducing the country's population growth rate from 2.55 per cent to 1.25 per cent by 2035.

The proposed framework prioritises healthcare, education, youth development, women's participation in the workforce, vocational training and social protection, while several federal welfare programmes are also being linked with population welfare objectives.

The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Syed Mustafa Kamal and Attaullah Tarar, along with senior government officials.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed the progress on Pakistan's strategic roadmap for the information technology sector, and reaffirmed that expanding the digital economy and increasing IT exports remain among the government's top priorities.

Chairing a high-level meeting here, the prime minister welcomed the country's annual IT exports reaching $4.6 billion, reflecting a 21 per cent increase, and commended Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja and her team for the achievement.

He said the growth was the result of the government's policies aimed at strengthening the digital economy. PM Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to ensure credible third-party validation of IT training courses, and stressed that there would be no compromise on the quality of skills development. He also instructed officials to further improve digital infrastructure across the country.

The meeting was briefed on the performance of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The officials said mobile spectrum availability had increased from 274 MHz in June 2025 to 880 MHz in June 2026, a development expected to significantly improve internet speed and connectivity. The prime minister was also informed about preparations for the launch of the Connect Pakistan Vision 2030 initiative.

The official further briefed that the Software Technology Park in Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has been completed, while smartphone penetration has increased from 62 per cent in 2024 to 72 per cent by June 2026. Fixed broadband and fibre connections have reached 5.1 million households, it added.

The officials said freelancers contributed $1.164 billion to IT exports during the last fiscal year, while 130 government services have been digitised under the Digital Nation Pakistan initiative. During the same period, 942,646 training certificates were awarded, including 5,053 high-end training programmes and 2,700 leadership and soft skills training sessions.

The meeting was also informed that the Women Innovation and Startup Empowerment Lab would be inaugurated soon. Under a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba, artificial intelligence projects and training programmes are being implemented across several federal ministries and institutions, including the State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Pakistan Railways, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Higher Education Commission and other government organisations.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad and senior government officials.