King Abdullah wants to see strong and stable Pakistan: Asseri
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Awadh Asseri said here yesterday that his country wants to see Pakistan become “a strong and stable country.” Asseri said a stable Pakistan was in the best interest of Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with Arab News, Asseri said that Chief of Intelligence of the Kingdom Prince Muqrin, who recently visited Pakistan, had brought a message for the Pakistani leadership that was “very loud and clear”: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was keen to see Pakistan as a stable, strong and prosperous country.
The message further said that the “Kingdom and Pakistan enjoy more than mere inter-state diplomatic relations. The two countries are knotted in the strongest bonds of Islam, both play an important role within the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the strength of Pakistan is considered by King Abdullah as the strength of Saudi Arabia.”
He added: “Prince Muqrin visited Pakistan at a time when there’s tension between Pakistan and India after Mumbai terrorist attacks. It has remained our policy vis-Ã -vis Pakistan and India to see peace and security in South Asia, and we have made efforts to de-escalate tension between Islamabad and New Delhi.”
“Pakistan is already engaged in efforts to combat domestic terrorism and it needs stability, domestic peace and political harmony among all the political forces. Therefore, we feel, both Pakistan and India should resolve their problems or disputes through peaceful dialogue,” the ambassador said.
“We were happy when the two South Asian nations initiated the process of composite dialogue. This remains our message to Pakistan and India. “We want to see a stable, sovereign Pakistan that plays or continues to play a pioneering role in the Muslim world. And as a member of the international community, it’s essential that it has peace with its neighbors.”
The ambassador wowed that the King Abdullah would play a pivotal role to facilitate peace in South Asia. He said good relations between Pakistan and India were in the interest of regional countries, including the Kingdom.”We are in direct contact with political leaders of Pakistan but how they manage to run the country is their business,” the ambassador added. “We only emphasize the need for Pakistan’s domestic stability and strength.”
He also congratulated Arab News editor in chief for receiving the Sitar-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) award from Pakistan’s Ambassador in Riyadh, Shahid Karimullah.
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