HISTORICALLY, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed deep and long-standing bonds based on their common geopolitical interests. The presence of a large number of expatriate Pakistani workers in the Kingdom has also added a new dimension to these ties.
Saudi Arabia has always stood with Pakistan to help the country weather its political and economic crises. The general perception about Pakistan-Saudi relations is that they started with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This development may have given a new impetus to our ties but they date back to the period before the creation of Pakistan.
It was in April 1940 when the then Crown Prince Saud bin Abdul Aziz visited Karachi and was warmly welcomed by leaders of the All-India Muslim League, including Mirza Abul Hasan Ispahani, M.A. Maniar and Karim Bhai Ibrahim, that laid the foundation of the future relations between the two countries. The then crown prince was accompanied by a large delegation, including his five brothers, Prince Faisal, Prince Saad, Prince Fahd, Prince Mansoor and Prince Abdullah. There is, however, no record of the dignitaries’ meeting with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
During the 1943 Bengal famine, the Saudi leadership responded positively to Quaid-e-Azam’s appeal for humanitarian assistance. King Abdul Aziz sent the first foreign aid of £10,000 to help the people in Bengal. In 1946, Jinnah sent a delegation of leaders of the Pakistan movement under M.A.H. Ispahani to the UN. While the Indian National Congress team was obstructing the Muslim League envoys’ engagements, Prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, who was leading the Saudi delegation, came to their rescue. Saudi Arabia invited Ispahani and his colleagues to the official reception given in the honour of all other delegates at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Prince Faisal then introduced members of the Pakistan movement to other UN delegates, where they explained their struggle for a separate homeland.
It is said that after the creation of Pakistan, Arab merchants settled in Mumbai and Calcutta migrated to Pakistan, especially to Karachi. In 1954, King Saud laid the foundation stone for a housing scheme in Karachi — the then capital of Pakistan — which was named after him as “Saudabad.”
King Faisal was equally revered by the then Pakistani government and named a key Karachi artery, Sharea Faisal, and an airbase after him. The name of Lyallpur, a city in the central Punjab, was also changed to Faisalabad to honor Prince Faisal.
It was three years after the 1965 war when Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the then Saudi minister of defence and aviation, visited Pakistan and a bilateral defense cooperation protocol was formalized. During the 1970s, the Saudi leadership responded to then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s request for financial assistance in order to respond to India’s nuclear ambitions.
Furthermore, over 2 million Pakistanis employed in Saudi Arabia send home remittances amounting to nearly Rs4 billion annually.
Following the nuclear tests in 1998, the Western nations imposed sanctions on Pakistan during which Saudi Arabia provided 50,000 barrels of oil per day to Pakistan for one year; amounting to about one-sixth of Pakistan’s total oil imports on deferred payment terms, a major part of which was later converted into grant.
It has never been a one-way relationship though. Pakistan has always stood by the Arab nation in times of war and peace and they have always reciprocated in kind. Pakistan can never afford to lose its time-tested strategic allies.
• The writer is the press counselor at the Consulate General of Pakistan, Jeddah.
Pak-Saudi ties: A history of goodwill
Pak-Saudi ties: A history of goodwill
14 sculptures go on display at public spaces in Riyadh
- The works were chosen by Riyadh Art from its international Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium to reflect its ‘vision of weaving beauty and intellect into the city’s fabric’
- Initiative aligns with efforts to make art a key part of city’s identity that improves quality of life and promotes the cultural economy, says Royal Commission for Riyadh City’s Khalid Al-Hazani
RIYADH: Fourteen sculptures selected from the annual international Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium, a Riyadh Art program, went on display on Wednesday at three prominent public spaces across the Saudi capital: ROSHN Front, the SEDRA residential community, and Sports Boulevard.
The project is part of Riyad Art’s efforts to showcase artworks in public spaces, and the addition of more works in other places is expected later.
Khalid Al-Hazani, the executive vice president of the lifestyle sector at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, said: “This step reflects (Riyadh Art’s) vision of weaving beauty and intellect into the city’s fabric, and creating vibrant and culturally rich public spaces, allowing art to become an integral part of people’s daily lives.”
It is also in line with Riyadh Art’s broader strategy for transforming the city into an open-air art gallery, he added, thereby “turning art into a central element of the city’s identity and a key contributor to improving quality of life and promoting the cultural economy.”
The three chosen locations were considered perfect places to host the artworks because of their vibrancy, strong community connections and accessibility, Al-Hazani noted.
“This provides residents and visitors with the opportunity to engage with the sculptures in their everyday lives,” he said.
Seven of the sculptures have been installed at ROSHN Front, considered a key urban hub. The artworks on display there form a thought-provoking artistic landscape that encourages interaction, organizers said, and explores a number of themes including the values of urban transformation, community spirit, and creative curiosity.
Three sculptures are on display at the SEDRA residential community. Chosen to complement its serene character and nature-integrated urban planning, they blend in with their surroundings to reflect the values of environmental harmony, contemplation and renewal, organizers explained.
The remaining four sculptures are at Sports Boulevard, known for its open, green spaces. These works reflect several concepts, in particular ideas of nature, balance and public health.
All of the sculptures are part of Riyadh Art’s permanent collection, which includes works created by local and international artists during the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium.
