The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a seminar to mark the Kingdom's 86th National Day celebrations. Several prominent figures from the Pakistani community in Jeddah attended the function, which started with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an. This was followed by the recital of Urdu poems, and a number of speeches. The speakers praised the immense contributions and remarkable achievements of King Abdul Aziz who founded modern Saudi Arabia after unifying various emirates and kingdoms. They also lauded the wise policies of King Abdul Aziz that eventually made the Kingdom an oasis of security and safety in the Arabian Peninsula. He was succeeded by his sons King Saud, King Faisal, King Khalid, King Fahd and King Abdullah until the present period of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. All of these rulers pursued the legacy left by their great father in the nation-building process. During their rule, the Kingdom witnessed unprecedented and massive growth and development in all walks of life. They also gave top priority to the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites which now have the capacity to accommodate millions of Haj and Umrah pilgrims. The speakers expressed their happiness and pride in having an opportunity to live in the Kingdom and contribute to the nation-building process as well as the massive development boom witnessed across the Kingdom over the past few decades. Speaking on the occasion, Mahmoud Akhtar, an American citizen of Pakistani origin, said that it is a matter of immense pride and joy for him to be in the Kingdom for the second time. He arrived in the Kingdom for the first time in 1978 and at that time he was a Pakistani citizen. Akhtar worked in the Kingdom for about 20 years during which time he moved from Riyadh to Kharj and then to Tabuk. He shared his feeling of gratitude for having the opportunity to serve the Kingdom and contribute to its success. Akhtar scored success in his profession first in the Kingdom and then in the United States. "Wherever I go and settle, I can never forget this holy land and the blessed days I spent here and the success I had here," he added. When it came my turn to address the gathering, I greeted the speakers and thanked them for expressing their kind words about the Kingdom and their feelings of love toward this great nation. I also thanked all those expatriates who have come to the Kingdom from many countries and played their role in implementing massive development projects. I especially thanked the expatriate community from Pakistan which I consider my second country. Pakistan was my first destination in my long diplomatic career. I also pursued studies there and obtained a degree from the University of Karachi. I spent the prime of my youth in that country. Before speaking about the National Day, I gave a brief sketch of the history of the Kingdom's foundation and the various phases through which the Kingdom passed before its unification. These included the First Saudi State founded by Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Al-Muqrin in 1744 which continued in power until 1818 when it suffered defeat by the Egyptian Army led by Ibrahim Pasha. The Second Saudi State was established by Prince Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al-Saud in 1818 and it continued until 1891. The Third Saudi State was founded by King Abdul Aziz in 1902. The period between the formation of the Third Saudi State in 1902 and the unification of the Kingdom in 1932 witnessed clashes and wars in various regions of the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in the unification of all regions under one nation called the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Before the unification, King Abdul Aziz was known for some time as the Sultan of Nejd and the King of Hejaz. Later, he came to be known as the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the period of King Faisal, the Kingdom started celebrating National Day. It is the commemoration of the day on which King Abdul Aziz named the unified nation the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I told the audience that when we celebrate the Kingdom's National Day, we cannot forget the plight of the people who are still not in a position to return to their original nation of Pakistan. The stranded Pakistanis celebrate their country's National Day in their squalid camps in Bangladesh where they have been languishing for nearly 45 years after being driven out of their homes and losing all of their property. These hapless people are denied even the basic amenities of life. Despite promises made by successive governments, these people still await repatriation and rehabilitation in Pakistan for which they have made great sacrifices. The seminar was concluded with the speech of Syed Ehsan-ul-Haque, convener of PRC. He thanked all those who spoke and attended the function. Haque also greeted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, wishing more progress and prosperity to Saudi Arabia on the occasion of National Day. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
