JEDDAH: Diplomats and other guests gathered on Wednesday for a celebration of the 78th National Day of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the country’s enduring relationship with Saudi Arabia.
The event, in the Crystal ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jeddah, was hosted by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Khan Hasham Bin Saddique, and Consul General Shehryar Akbar Khan. The guests included diplomats from several nations, representatives from the military, and figures from the business world.
The festivities began with the national anthems of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, followed by speeches from the consul general and the ambassador highlighting social and economic development in Saudi Arabia, and the diplomatic ties between the two nations.
“Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been strategic partners for many decades, and our friendship has bonded in various international and regional matters, in faith, shared values and culture,” Saddique told Arab News.
He added that the leadership of both countries are working to further improve their partnership to make it more robust and diverse.
Both the ambassador and consul general also expressed their admiration for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s initiative, Saudi Vision 2030.
“I think Saudi Arabia is destined to become an economic powerhouse,” said Saddique.
Khan added: “Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a visionary person. He is bringing in all these new projects for the betterment of the Saudi people and their well-being, and of the Islamic world. Pakistan fully supports it.
“We have had the best of relationships with Saudi Arabia ever since Pakistan came into existence in 1947.
There has not been a time where Saudi Arabia has not helped us when we were in need of help, and there has not been a time where Saudi Arabia has called us and we were not there with them, at any level, may it be diplomatic, political or defense — we stand with Saudi Arabia.”
The event also celebrated Pakistan’s wider diplomatic ties.
“I want to congratulate Pakistan on this occasion,” said Italian Consul General Elisabetta Martini. “The consul general of Pakistan is such an important figure here in Jeddah, where they have one of the biggest communities. I know for Pakistan,
Jeddah is their biggest diplomatic mission in the world.
“It’s a very complicated and difficult task my colleague is performing in the best way — I wish him all the best.”
US Consul General Matthias Mitman also congratulated his Pakistani colleagues.
“I’m glad I could come and participate in it,” Mitman said.
VIPs celebrate Pakistan’s National Day in Jeddah
VIPs celebrate Pakistan’s National Day in Jeddah
KSrelief transfers Gaza girl to Jordan for cancer treatment
- Roza Al-Dreimli in Jordan because Israel destroyed Gaza hospitals
- Under assessment, monitoring at the King Hussein Cancer Center
AMMAN: A cancer-stricken Palestinian girl from Gaza is now undergoing clinical observation prior to treatment at a specialist hospital in Jordan, thanks to Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief.
Roza Al-Dreimli was transported to Amman from the Gaza Strip through the initiative of KSrelief, as a part of Saudi Arabia’s continued medical support for Palestinians, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
Al-Dreimli was prioritized because assessments indicated the need for advanced treatment of cancerous cells at the base of her brain. She is at the King Hussein Cancer Center, and being treated by a team of pediatricians.
She is currently undergoing “intensive clinical monitoring” to “ensure control of the condition, and prevent any potential neurological or visual complications resulting from the tumor’s location,” the SPA reported.
Al-Dreimli’s family expressed profound gratitude for KSrelief’s swift intervention, and hoped the specialized care would ensure a full recovery.
Such specialized care is currently unavailable in the Gaza Strip because of Israel’s alleged genocidal destruction of hospitals and killing of medical workers since Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel has systematically destroyed homes and commercial buildings and infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave, killing over 70,000 Palestinians, many of them unarmed men, women and children, and injuring more than 170,000.
Tel Aviv has stated that its actions were in retaliation to a raid by Hamas of Israeli border villages, during which the militant group reportedly killed more than 1,200 people and took 254 hostages.
