ISLAMABAD: Saudi minister of Islamic affairs Saleh bin Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh is in Pakistan where he met with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki on Friday, the Saudi embassy said.

The minister is expected to meet with prominent religious personalities of Pakistan, however, the embassy has not shared details about the visit yet.

A known Pakistani cleric and chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, who also met with the visiting Saudi minister told Arab News that Al-Asheikh is a "respectable religious figure for Pakistan."

“Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a strong religious bond,” Ashrafi said while adding that Al-Asheikh’s visit had "a lot of significance." 

Saudi cleric Al-Asheikh was born in 1959 in Riyadh to a notable family of religious scholars. In 1995, he was appointed as deputy to the minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, becoming the minister from 1996 to 2014, and taking up the post again shortly afterwards.

He is also the general supervisor of King Fahd Complex, which is responsible for printing the Holy Quran, as well as Al-Dawa Charity Foundation.

He was earlier in charge of charities like Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, and continues to oversee progress in institutes such as the International Islamic Relief Organization and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Pakistan greatly values its ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the bilateral relations characterized by religious affinities and shared visions on regional and international issues.

Last week, Pakistan’s ambassador to Riyadh met with the Speaker of Saudi Shura Council and discussed the relationship between the two countries with particular focus on how to mobilize the parliamentary relations among Pakistan’s National Assembly, the Senate and the Saudi Shura Council.

Late last month members of the Saudi-Pakistani Parliamentary Friendship Committee of the Shura Council had also met in Riyadh.