Diplomat Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi addresses the gathering on the the Kingdom's National Day function held by the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) Sunday in Jeddah. Sitting from left: Shamusuddin Altaf, Tayeb Mosani, Sh. Luqman, Convener Syed Ehsan ul Haque, Riaz Ghuman and Ashfaq Badayouni. Syed Mussarat Khalil Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) celebrated 83rd Saudi National Day at Kababish restaurant on Sunday.
Former diplomat, writer and scholar Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi presided over at the function while Mohammad Azam, Ghazanfar Hassan and Mohammad Moizuddin of Engineers Welfare Forum were the guests of honor. Al-Ghamdi praised PRC for holding a function on Kingdom's National Day. He said that this is not only a day of pride for Saudis but for all Muslim as the Kingdom is home to the two holy mosques. He paid tribute to King Abdulaziz in uniting the five sultanates, including Najd and Hijaz, and adopting the Islamic penal code. Al-Ghamdi praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque King Abdullah and his team for massive development projects related to the two holy mosques, education and health care, benefitting both expatriates and Muslims. He also hailed the roles played by Pakistanis in the development of the Kingdom. The former diplomat encouraged Pakistanis and their children to learn and speak Arabic. Convener Syed Ehsan ul Haque thanked the guests for taking part in the National Day celebrations and lauded King Abdullah's visionary projects. The Pak-Saudi relationship is very strong but continuous efforts should be made in strengthening bilateral ties in all aspects, including tourism, media, and culture among others.
“Few decades back Pakistani company Railcorp built Dammam-Riyadh railways, and NC, Gammon Pakistan, ADA, NPCC built infrastructure and power projects.
“Such moves will not only improve our relationship but will also enhance our monetary situation and avoid borrowing from International Monetary Fund (IMF). If we enhance the quality of our manpower by training, they could be more worthy for both countries,” said Haque. He praised the Kingdom's support in solving issues related to Kashmir, stranded Pakistanis and natural disasters. Choudhry Mohammad Riyaz Ghumman, president of the Pak-Saudi Friendship Forum and member of Kashmir Committee, congratulated the leaders and Saudis for supporting Pakistan at all times. “We also feel committed to this country and consider it our second home.” Sheikh Mohammad Luqman, a local businessman, said Saudis appreciate the role of Pakistanis in the development of Saudi Arabia. “We have done our part by working for Saudi Arabia, and now it is time that our new generation carry the mission of further boosting the Pak-Saudi relationship with devotion, commitment, hard work and belief,” said Luqman. He added that people should not worry about the present validation process. All legitimate expatriates will notice ease in the processing of their documentation in future. Shamsuddin Altaf, a social worker, made his speech in Arabic and praised King Abdulaziz and all other leaders for continuously working for the development of the country. Mohammad Amanatullah, a writer, also echoed the sentiments of Altaf. Tayyab Mosani, general secretary of Memon Association, said: “We should try to do our best for this country. We always pray for the prosperity and stability of this country.” Syed Shahabuddin, a PRC member, said: “Our friendship is based on principle and religion which have common goals and missions.” The function was conducted by former broadcaster of Radio PakistanKarachi Mohammad Ashfaque Badayouni. Few verses from the Qur'an was recited by Qari Abdul Majeed, in addition to aNaat by Sher Afzal, and a poem on Saudi Arabia by Zamurrad Saifi and Nawaz Janjua.
