The Saudi foreign minister’s visit comes a little over a week after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Makkah and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion that was previously discussed.
On his arrival at the Nur Khan air base in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, the Saudi foreign minister, who is leading a high-level delegation comprising several top ministers, was given a red-carpet welcome by Pakistani officials.
“A week after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia (April 6-8), a high-level delegation of Saudi Arabia is coming to Pakistan,” the Pakistani Information Ministry said in a statement.
“The Saudi delegation will consult on the next stages of investment and implementation issues,” the statement added, saying Saudi Arabia’s planned investment in the Reko Diq gold and copper mining project would also be discussed during the visit.
On Sunday, Pakistani state media reported that Saudi Arabia was likely to invest $1 billion in the mine project in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas.
Riyadh was also interested in investing in agriculture, trade, energy, minerals, IT, transport and other sectors in Pakistan, the statement said.
“As a result of this visit, Pakistan’s export capacity will increase, joint ventures will be launched and new opportunities will be paved.”
The Pakistani foreign office said last week that the Saudi delegation would comprise the foreign minister, minister of water and agriculture, minister of industry and mineral resources and deputy minister of investment, as well as senior officials from the Saudi energy ministry.
The Saudi delegation is expected to hold meetings with the Pakistani president, the prime minister, the foreign minister and other ministers, as well as the army chief and members of the apex committee of Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council, set up last year to oversee all foreign funding.
Sharif and Al-Issa then laid the foundation stone for a branch of the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, an extension of its main headquarters in Madinah.
The ceremony, attended by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, opened with a recitation from the Qur’an by Irshadullah bin Muti’e, the competition winner.
Sharif praised the pivotal role played by the MWL in advancing Qur’anic education, highlighting the stature of the Kingdom and its leadership in the global Islamic sphere.
He underscored Pakistan’s embrace of the forthcoming Museum of the Prophet’s Biography, recognizing its potential to advance Islamic principles worldwide and deepen understanding of Prophet Muhammad’s life.
“This museum will serve as a pilgrimage destination not just for Pakistanis, but for people worldwide,” Sharif said, affirming that the Pakistani people would deeply appreciate the museum, a gift from Saudi Arabia.
In his address, Al-Issa celebrated the young Qur’an memorizers, emphasizing Pakistan’s deep-rooted commitment to Qur’anic education and the religious dedication of its population.
He said that Qur’anic schools and institutions throughout the Islamic world should not focus merely on memorization but also on imparting understanding and insight into its meanings.
The ceremony culminated in the distribution of prizes to outstanding participants throughout Pakistan, followed by a visual presentation about the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization.
The secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa met prominent Pakistani religious leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and other Pakistani religious scholars in Islamabad on Monday, Rehman’s party said, as the MWL official’s nine-day visit to the country concludes today.
Dr. Al-Issa arrived in Islamabad on April 7 on a nine-day trip aimed at fostering interfaith harmony, strengthening bilateral ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He heads the MWL, a Makkah-based non-governmental organization that represents followers of Islam around the world.
During his visit to Pakistan, Dr. Al-Issa delivered the Eid Al-Fitr sermon at the Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad last week in which he called on Muslims to keep Palestinians close to their hearts and in their prayers.
Rehman, who heads the right-wing Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) party, met Dr. Al-Issa at the house of Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, the JUI-F said in a statement.
“We welcome Muslim World League Secretary-General Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa and his honorable delegation,” Rehman was quoted as saying by the JUI-F.
The JUI-F leader said thousands of madrassahs or religious seminaries were being run by Pakistani scholars in the country. He added that Pakistani scholars have played a prominent role in awakening the Muslim community.
“Pakistani scholars have a longstanding spiritual and brotherly relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Rehman was quoted as saying by the JUI-F.
Speaking on the Gaza crisis, Rehman criticized the Jewish state for its relentless military campaign and said that the “brutality” against Palestinians cannot be ignored.
“Zionist Israel has the patronage of international powers where human rights are being trampled and children, women and the elderly are being killed,” he said. “The Palestinian situation demands unity from us and the entire Muslim Ummah is looking toward Saudi Arabia in this regard.”
During his visit to Pakistan, Dr. Al-Issa visited the Ali bin Abi Talib Orphanage in Islamabad to spend time with the orphans there on Eid Al-Fitr. On Saturday, he attended the foundation laying ceremony of the Seerat Museum in Islamabad. The museum, the first of its kind, would exhibit relics related to the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).