ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will sign a mutual cooperation agreement between the two countries’ official news agencies by December, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan, told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
Earlier, in August this year, Saudi Minister of Media, Turki Al-Shabanah, also met with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to discuss enhancing media cooperation.
“The two countries are going to sign mutual cooperation between Pakistani and Saudi news agencies. Pakistani and Saudi state televisions are going (to have) exchange programs. We are also working on exchange of media delegations,” Awan said on Saturday, and added she would be leaving “soon” for an official visit to Saudi Arabia, to finalize the agreement.
“We will finalize our framework by December 2019 and 2020 will be a new era of strong media engagements between the two countries,” she said.
The cooperation, Awan explained, would help change the perception of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan, which people largely viewed as an “ultra-conservative country.” But under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the Kingdom was both enlightened and progressive, Awan said.
“Now, the world is getting more information about the new Saudi Arabia,” the minister said while adding that “We have to market this change, which both countries can do by joining hands in the fields of media and information, and for which a mechanism is being designed,” she said.
Awan said Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia’s side as a strong partner in bringing this change through enhanced media-to-media and people-to-people contacts and stressed the need for a joint communication strategy with the Kingdom to promote and project the true image of Islam across the globe.
“It will also serve the vision of both leaders (Pakistan’s prime minister and the Saudi crown prince) to dispel the negative perception about Islam and promote the true face of Islam before the world.”
Last month, at the UN General Assembly Session in New York, Khan made an impassioned appeal to the West against growing Islamophobia and warned the world about its consequences. He had also spoken about the possibility of an Islamic television channel in collaboration with other Muslim countries to contest negative media portrayals of Muslims.
Earlier this week, a Saudi-Pakistan parliamentary friendship committee met in Riyadh to discuss greater inter-departmental collaboration between institutions in the two countries.
Awan said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are also improving business contacts and cooperation in the tourism sector, and added Riyadh was Pakistan’s “true economic partner.”
Last year, Saudi Arabia gave $6 billion in aid to Pakistan and averted a balance of payments crisis. During his maiden visit to Pakistan in February this year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed additional investment agreements worth $20 billion.
“They (Saudi Arabia) are our true economic partner. When Pakistan was nearing bankruptcy, economy was in shambles, foreign reserves were at historic low and we were unable even to pay back (our) due instalments on loans... Saudi leadership stood by us, helped in improving our foreign reserves and provided oil on deferred payment. It helped in stabilizing our economy and then we went to IMF program with better terms and conditions,” she said.
Riyadh’s investments in Gwadar, she added, were a true example of improved economic cooperation.
Saudis (have) always safeguarded Pakistani national interests and supported its strategical narrative,” she said, and added that in turn, Pakistan’s armed forces were always ready to play their role in the protection of the Kingdom’s national security.
“Any challenge to Saudi Arabia’s security and sovereignty is a challenge for Pakistan. Pakistan will always stand by Saudi Arabia in any threat,” she said.
Referring to last month’s attacks on two Saudi oil facilities, Awan said the Prime Minister not only condemned the attacks, but “declared it an attack on Pakistan.”
“Now, Pakistani people want a strong condemnation of Indian actions in Kashmir from Saudi Arabia,” she said, and added Riyadh could play an important role in raising the issue at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).