Riyadh: Indian Worker Missing at Sea, Pakistan Secures $3B Saudi Trade Deal, Mecca Alliance Launched with Pakistani Leadership
Three significant developments touched South Asian communities connected to Riyadh this week: one Indian seafarer remains missing after an attack on a tanker near Oman while 13 colleagues were rescued, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia struck a landmark agreement to raise Pakistani agricultural exports to $3 billion over two years, and the newly formed Mecca Defense Alliance established its permanent secretariat in Riyadh with Pakistan holding the inaugural secretary-general post.
One Indian Crew Member Missing After Tanker Attack Near Oman, 13 Rescued
One Indian national remained missing following an attack on the Panama-flagged tanker MT El Gaia near the Oman coast, the Gulf News reported, citing India's Ministry of External Affairs. The MEA confirmed that Search and Rescue operations had been completed for 13 of the 14 Indian nationals on board, with all 13 safely shifted ashore. Omani authorities were continuing SAR efforts for the one missing crew member. The Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed it was closely monitoring the rescue operation and coordinating with Omani authorities. The MEA called for free and safe navigation and urged dialogue and diplomacy to bring peace to the region, condemning attacks on commercial shipping, seafarers, and civilian infrastructure. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh was also said to be proactively monitoring the situation. The Gulf News report noted that this followed a separate August incident in which the MEA condemned the attack on the Indian-flagged vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya that sank in the Red Sea off Yemen, from which all 13 Indian nationals were rescued. The cases reflect the ongoing risks faced by Indian maritime workers in the Gulf region and the active diplomatic role of India's embassies in Saudi Arabia and Oman in coordinating support. [2]
🏢 Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Agree to Raise Agricultural Exports to $3 Billion in Two Years
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to boost Pakistani agricultural and food exports to the kingdom to $3 billion within two years, following bilateral talks in Islamabad, Anadolu Agency reported. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a Saudi delegation led by National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain reached the agreement and released a joint statement. The two sides identified rice, red meat, fruits and fruit concentrates, green fodder, and water-efficient agricultural technologies as priority areas for expanding trade and investment, particularly through Saudi Arabia's private sector. Pakistan supplied approximately 169,000 tons of rice worth $163 million to Saudi Arabia in 2025, and the Saudi side expressed interest in further increasing rice imports. Pakistan's annual exports of around 30,000 tons of red meat, valued at approximately $167 million, were also reviewed, with Saudi Arabia expressing interest in gradually doubling its Pakistani red meat imports. Investment proposals from Pakistan's private sector in livestock, agri-food processing, and the rice value chain were reviewed by both sides. Both governments reaffirmed their longstanding strategic ties and highlighted the alignment between Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 food-security objectives and Pakistan's agricultural export potential. [3]
Mecca Defense Alliance Formally Established With Riyadh Secretariat and Pakistani Secretary-General
The Mecca Defense Alliance was formally constituted following an inaugural summit in Istanbul, with a permanent secretariat established in Riyadh and Pakistan named to hold the alliance's inaugural secretary-general post, Kurdistan 24 reported. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the outcomes of the meeting. He confirmed that a secretariat had been established in Riyadh and that the first secretary-general would be appointed from among Pakistan. The three founding members—Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan—transformed a political declaration signed three weeks earlier into a functioning multilateral defense institution by also launching the Strategic Political and Defense Committee as the alliance's governing body. Fidan described the alliance's founding principles as rooted in international law and the principle of regional ownership, saying that solutions imposed from outside the region do not address the region's problems. The alliance has been described as open to new members, with Egypt, Bangladesh, and Syria signalling interest in joining. The formal establishment of a Pakistani-led secretariat in Riyadh underlines Pakistan's growing diplomatic prominence within the Muslim world and its deepening strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. [1]
Sources: [2] Gulf News · [3] Anadolu Ajansı · [1] kurdistan24.net