THE 77th Pakistan Day was celebrated in Jeddah on Thursday with patriotic zeal and fervor. A flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the residence of Consul General Shehryar Akbar Khan. [caption id="attachment_128789" align="alignright" width="201"] Consul General Shehryar Akbar Khan raises the national flag at his residence in Jeddah on the occasion of 77th Pakistan Day.[/caption] A large number of Pakistanis, including men, women, schoolchildren, the consulate staff and representatives of the defense forces attended the ceremony. Consul General Khan raised the national flag as the national anthem was played. While addressing the audience, Khan said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed "very close and cordial" relations. "These strategic ties are seasoned and both countries have stood by each other in testing times," he said. Khan expressed his satisfaction that the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were firmly based "on the pillars of mutual trust, respect and desire to further promote friendship". While discussing the economic progress of Pakistan, the consul general said Pakistan's economy was growing and it was acknowledged by global economic agencies like the IMF. Khan said the GDP growth was 4.7 percent in 2015-16 and was expected to reach 5.2 percent in 2017-18, which he described as a great achievement by the present government of Pakistan. He praised the role of Pakistani expatriates in the country's economic growth. Remittances by Pakistanis living abroad have played a major role in achieving an all-time high foreign reserve of $24 billion, he said. He termed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a game changer project and said it would transform the economic condition of Pakistan. Khan explained the new facilities put in place by the consulate for providing better services to the community. He said online passport procedures would end the need for frequent visits by community members to the consulate. The consul general welcomed the amnesty announced recently by the Saudi government for undocumented expatriates to leave the country without facing penalties. He urged all Pakistanis whose stay in the Kingdom is irregular or illegal to take advantage of the amnesty and go back to their country. The consul general cut the Pakistan Day Cake amid applause from the audience. He especially invited the young children present to the cake cutting and they were overjoyed to join him. Earlier Saeed Sarwar, head of chancery, and Consul Shaiq Bhutto read out the messages of the president and prime minister of Pakistan respectively. Later the school children wowed the audience by singing several patriotic songs.
