PM Shehbaz prays for Saudi King Salman’s health

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that he is concerned for Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s health after it emerged that he is being treated for lung inflammation.

Saudi King Salman will undergo treatment at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for a lung inflammation, the state news agency reported Sunday, hours after he underwent medical tests.

Citing the royal court, the state news agency said the 88-year-old king would be treated with antibiotics until the inflammation subsides.

In a message on X, formerly Twitter, PM Shehbaz said: “I have learnt with grave concern about the health of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz.”

“His Majesty is not only a sincere friend of Pakistan but as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, a leader and guide for the entire Muslim ummah.

The people of Pakistan join me in praying to the Almighty for His Majesty’s complete recovery and swift return to full health.”

Pakistan and Saudi have a longstanding fraternal relations rooted in religious and cultural affinity.

It is the second time in less than a month that the Saudi government had commented about the 88-year-old king’s health.

King Salman has been on the throne since 2015, though his son, Mohammed bin Salman, 38, was named crown prince in 2017.

Prior to this, his most recent hospitalisation had been in May 2022, when he went in for a colonoscopy and stayed for just over a week for other tests and "some time to rest", SPA reported at the time.

King Salman underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder in 2020.

He was also admitted to hospital in March 2022 to undergo what state media described as "successful medical tests" and to change the battery of his pacemaker.

King Salman had served as Riyadh governor for decades and also as defence minister.