ISLAMABAD: Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, said Saudi Arabia had always stood by Pakistan in its times of need, through floods, earthquakes and terrorism, adding that the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) had implemented 106 projects in Pakistan at a total cost of approximately $ 117.6 million.

KSRelief has one of the largest humanitarian aid budgets in the world and operates in 44 countries where it has spent upwards of $3.25 billion on 1,011 projects. The agency has worked as a partner with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on several projects, including providing basic relief materials for internally displaced people in Yemen and emergency support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

“Saudi Arabia has always stood by its brothers in all circumstances, especially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has suffered greatly due to difficult weather, floods, earthquakes and terrorism, causing loss of lives and left negative impact on the country's economy,” Al-Malki told Arab News in an interview last week.

He said since its establishment in 2005, KSRelief had implemented more than 106 projects at a total cost of approximately $ 117.6 million. These projects include housing and shelter schemes for refugees and people displaced due to disasters, floods and military operation.

Among them are 31 mega projects, the envoy said, more than 22 food security projects and 17 educational projects in remote and affected areas.

“The center carried out health and emergency projects and schemes to provide drinking water for affected areas beside a number of other relief projects,” Al-Maliki added. “The King Salman Center is currently working on projects worth more than US $ 1 million and is assessing the needs of people in some areas affected by recent floods in Azad Kashmir and other areas to evaluate possible support needs.”

The World Giving Index 2018 report compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation lists Saudi Arabia among the world’s top 10 countries in terms of giving trends. The UN Financial Tracking Service (FTS) also said in its 2018 report that Saudi Arabia was ranked fourth among major world donors of humanitarian aid.