Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Naeem Khan reiterated that his nation’s ties with Saudi Arabia were growing stronger by the day and that consistent efforts in nurturing the relationship were yielding positive results.
Addressing select members of the Pakistani community in the Eastern Province yesterday, Khan said: “We are constantly engaged in talks with the king, the crown prince, members of the royal family, ministers and businessmen, and all these indicate that our ties with Saudi Arabia remain strong and special.”
Khan praised the Saudi leadership for excellent arrangements during the recent Haj. “We want to thank Saudi Arabia and its able leadership for providing the best possible facilities to pilgrims coming from all over the world and especially to the 180,000 who came from Pakistan this year,” he said.
He referred to the special invitation extended to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. “He was among the select heads of state who were invited as personal guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah … it was a big honor for Pakistan,” said Khan.
The ambassador said during the reception hosted by the king in Mina, the prime minister had the opportunity to meet important members of the Saudi leadership. “In his interactions with the Saudi hosts, the prime minister underlined the special relationship that Pakistan enjoys with Saudi Arabia,” said Khan.
The ambassador referred to the recent visit to Pakistan of a power-packed business delegation headed by Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. “We were very happy to arrange this particular visit of the delegation to Pakistan,” he said. “The Saudi delegates were very impressed by the investment, growth and joint venture opportunities in Pakistan. We will soon have a follow-up meeting with the delegates.”
The ambassador inaugurated a clinic which is run by a group of committed and well-known Pakistani expatriate doctors. “I appreciate all the doctors who are involved in this project and would like to especially thank Tamimi Group and its Vice President Sardar Mohammed Ilyas Khan for providing the basic infrastructure to run it,” he said.
The ambassador said the clinic would not have been possible without the support and permission from Eastern Province Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Fahd. “He was very gracious in promptly accepting our request to run this clinic for members of the Pakistani community. We will remain very thankful and grateful to the governor for his concern and constant support to the community,” said Khan.
The clinic is open to Pakistanis who do not have the luxury of health insurance. “The well-equipped clinic will run every time the consular team from Riyadh visits Alkhobar,” said Khan. “Right now only consultation services are being offered, but in time and with help from the community we will dispense medicines as well,” he said.
The ambassador said Pakistani expatriates have always played an important role in raising the profile of the country in Saudi Arabia. “When it comes to charitable activities and welfare services, our people are always in the forefront,” he said, and pointed out that during the recent flood disaster, the community rose to the occasion and contributed handsomely to relief efforts.
He appealed to the Pakistani businessmen and professionals to continue doing the good job.