ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq on Tuesday conferred the ‘Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam’ medal on Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) head Dr. Mohammed Sulaiman Al-Jasser in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the Pakistani consulate said.
The Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam medal is one of Pakistan’s highest civil awards that is awarded to foreign nationals for their eminent services to Pakistan.
The award ceremony was attended by representatives from Pakistan’s missions in the Kingdom and to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“The President of Pakistan has conferred this medal on Dr. Al-Jasser for his instrumental role and for IsDB Group’s leadership in supporting Pakistan’s economic and development agenda and support at important world forums,” the Pakistani consulate in Jeddah said in a statement.
The IsDB is a multilateral and international financial development institution that aims to foster socio-economic development in Muslim member countries. Pakistan is also among the 56 members of the IsDB where the IsDB has invested in various projects.
In March, Pakistan and the IsDB signed a financing agreement worth $200 million for the Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project. The project aims to construct 700,000 houses, benefiting an estimated 4.2 million people in rural areas of the southern province, and will support the creation of 75,000 water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for over 1.3 million individuals.
The Bank announced a $100 million loan to support Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts in December 2023, on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai.
After the devastating floods of 2022 killed 1,700 people and inflicted losses worth $30 billion on Pakistan, the IsDB pledged $4.2 billion for the South Asian country over the next three years.