Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi has said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are tied in bonds of religion, history and culture and share unanimity of views on regional and global issues. He said this while talking to Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Ali Saeed Mohammad al-Awad Asseri, who called on him in the Parliament House.
The deputy speaker while talking to Saudi ambassador said that the Islamic world was confronting immense challenges, which need to be tackled by adopting a cohesive strategy and enhancing closer interaction between Muslim Ummah.
He attributed the negative image of Islam to the deviant and misled extremist elements in the Ummah. Underlining the importance of OIC, he said that it was the only forum for Muslim voice and it needed to be strengthened and made more vibrant.
He said the February 18 elections have demonstrated that majority of Pakistanis are progressive and enlightened and had voted progressive forces to the Parliament. He said that people were expecting a lot from the new government, which was committed to come up to their expectations.
The Deputy Speaker said that the timely formation of Standing Committees and announcement of Leader of the Opposition were landmark achievements of the present National Assembly.
He said that the Standing Committees would soon elect their chairmen and would be carrying out their role of Parliamentary oversight for ensuring good governance and accountability. The Saudi envoy said that a stable, strong and prosperous Pakistan was the desire of Saudi Government.
He said that Saudi Arabia supported the democratic process in Pakistan and desired the democratic institutions in Pakistan to flourish and strengthen. He stressed the need for spreading the true message of Islam through media in order to curb the extremism from the Muslim Ummah.
The Saudi envoy expressed his government's desire to further cement the existing reactions with Pakistan by enhancing people-to-people contacts besides enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries. He also stressed for further diversifying economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.