DUBAI: Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE is “extremely important” for the region, Pakistan’s top military spokesman said on Thursday.
Pakistan has a history of “wonderful relationships” with the two Gulf states, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, director general of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on a visit to the Arab News Dubai bureau.
“This cooperation is increasing with every passing day, and we believe this cooperation is in the interest of not only Pakistan, but also the region,” he said.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE played an essential part in assisting Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, Gen. Ghafoor said.
In conflict areas where Pakistani forces had cleared out terrorists, development work had been “assisted phenomenally” by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, specifically in the field of social welfare, including hospitals and water supply schemes, he said.
On Pakistan’s continuing disputes with Afghanistan, Gen. Ghafoor said the Pakistani army had cleared areas that had been under terrorist influence on the Pakistan side of the border, but militants still controlled areas on the Afghan side “due to the lack of capacity of the Afghan forces, and now with the reduced footprint of the international forces.”
“So the issue now resides inside Afghanistan, where the threat is still unchecked,” he said.
Gen. Ghafoor also welcomed the new Arab News online Pakistan edition, launched this month, which he hoped would contribute to positive journalism.
“It’s a great pleasure to visit the Arab News setup here in Dubai and we are even more pleased to have the Arab News bureau in Islamabad,” he said.
Pakistan military spokesman hails Saudi, UAE role in fighting terror
Pakistan military spokesman hails Saudi, UAE role in fighting terror
Interior Ministry launches special passport stamp to mark King Abdulaziz Camel Festival
- Festival being held in Al-Sayahid, north of Riyadh Region, in cooperation with Camel Club and will run until Jan. 3
JEDDAH: The General Directorate of Passports, part of the Ministry of Interior, has introduced a commemorative stamp to mark the 10th edition of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
The festival is being held in Al-Sayahid, north of the Riyadh Region, in cooperation with the Camel Club and will run until Jan. 3.
The commemorative stamp will be available to travelers arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as well as at land ports in the Eastern Province.
The initiative “aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity and highlight the camel’s status as a fundamental symbol of the Kingdom’s authentic heritage,” the SPA reported, adding that it is also part of the Ministry of Interior’s broader efforts to “document major national events and introduce them to visitors arriving in the Kingdom.”
“In a related initiative, Saudi Post, in collaboration with the General Entertainment Authority, issued a series of commemorative postage stamps in September,” the SPA noted. Those stamps were valued at SR3, along with a postcard valued at SR5, to coincide with celebrations marking the Kingdom’s 95th Saudi National Day under the slogan “Our Pride Is in Our Nature.”
That initiative “commemorated the unification of the Kingdom and its founding by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, transforming the nation’s history into a narrative of pride, belonging and loyalty, while celebrating the occasion,” the SPA wrote.
The first commemorative postage stamp issued in Saudi Arabia was in the early 1930s. It marked the appointment of Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as crown prince.
Saudi postage stamps are “distinguished by built-in security features that prevent counterfeiting, ensure authenticity and protect institutional and intellectual property rights,” the SPA reported.
