The Pakistan Television in its news bulletin and commentary on the life of late Khadim Al Haramain Al Sharifain King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz ran a real 'bloomer' when it was said in the news bulletin that Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz visited Pakistan twice, first in 1980 as Crown Prince and then again in 1985 as the ruling monarch of Saudi Arabia.
This was inspite of the news story circulated by the UPP and carried out in the newspapers highlighting the fact that Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz visited Pakistan in December l980 to extend the invitation to the third Islamic Summit held at Makkah-Taif in 1981 to then-military ruler of Pakistan, General Ziaul Haq.
King Fahd during his 23 years of reign as the Saudi monarch received successive presidents and prime ministers of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia, and did plan to visit, tour and meet the people in Pakistan.
He held Pakistan in the highest esteem and. during his kingship the ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia developed to the optimum level and it was during his rule Pakistan provided to Saudi Arabia several thousand Pakistani troops for the defence of the Holy land against possible Israeli aggression, and these troops were stationed mostly in the northern areas of the Kingdom with Tabuk city as the Centre.
The then-President of Pakistan and military ruler had under a special agreement provided the Pakistani military contingent for Saudi Arabia in keeping with Pakistan's commitment to the defence of the citadel of Islam -Saudi Arabia and the Haramain Sharifain -against nefarious Israeli designs.
It was during the time of prime minister Mohammed Khan Junejo that the decision to withdraw the Pakistan military contingent from Saudi Arabia was taken. The arrangements were under the defence co-operation agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Kingdom initiated in 1967 by the present Crown Prince H.R.H. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz.
Present Saudi Monarch, Khadim Al-Haramain King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz visited Pakistan as Crown Prince in 1984 when he supported Pakistan's stand on the Afghan Jihad against Soviet occupation. He came again in 1997 when the special summit of The OIC was held in Islamabad to mark Pakistan's Golden Jubilee and again in 2003 when he stopped over for talks with General Pervez Musharraf after the OIC summit in Malaysia. He had passed through Pakistan when visiting China as Crown Prince earlier.
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