- Saleh Bin Talib says Islam rejects all forms of violence, extremism; invites president to visit KSA
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have become closer and stronger, and the peoples of both the countries have a lot of respect for each other.
He was talking to Imam-e-Ka’abah Sheikh Saleh Bin Muhammad Bin Talib who called on him here. The prime minister warmly welcomed the Imam-e-Ka’abah to Pakistan, saying the people of Pakistan attached great religious and spiritual attachment with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) due to the location of the Holy Ka’abah.
He said that though Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were geographically located apart, mutual Islamic and cultural values have kept their hearts together. The prime minister emphasised that Islam was the message of love, peace, patience, forgiveness and respect for humanity and it was the need of the time to spread this message all over the world.
He said the religious leaders and scholars should unanimously counter negative propaganda, being wrongly portrayed against Islam. Imam-e-Ka’abah thanked the prime minister for the warm welcome accorded to him in Pakistan. Acting Saudi Ambassador Habeebullah Al-Bokhari, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and other senior officials were also present during the meeting.
The Imam-e-Ka’aba also called on President Mamnoon Hussain at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Talking with his guest, the president called for establishing an international group, comprising of Islamic scholars who should present a true picture of Islam in order to arrest the trend of extremism and try to bring the misled back to normal life.
He called for making concerted efforts to remove misperception about Islam, adding Muslim Ummah should stand united in defeating terrorism and extremist mindset. He said that Pakistan was committed to protecting the sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques and any aggression against Saudi Arabia would be considered an aggression against Pakistan.
He said the people and the government of Pakistan have the greatest regard for Saudi Arabia. The president said the relations between the two brotherly countries were embedded in strong bonds of friendship, religion, fraternity, shared history and cultural ties. He noted that Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan on all important issues at the regional and international forums, including Kashmir issue.
He expressed his gratitude that Saudi Arabia stood by Pakistan in every difficult hour and rendered assistance during natural calamities, which was greatly valued by the people of Pakistan. The president thanked Saudi Arabia on restoring 20 per cent Hajj quota for Pakistan and lauded the Kingdom for making excellent arrangements for Hajj and Umrah every year.
He called for establishing a consultative platform for experts in social sciences to deliberate on a strategy to safeguard the Muslim world from alien cultural invasion. The president stressed that a system should be devised for rehabilitation and assistance of the people of Islamic world affected by wars and terrorism.
He said the recommendations should be formulated to harmonise the educational curriculum of religious educational institutions with modern requirements so that the Muslim Ummah could excel in the comity of nations. Speaking on the occasion, Imam-e-Ka’aba said that the deep-rooted relations between the two brotherly countries were based on strong foundations.
He said that he regards Pakistan as his own home and expressed gratitude for the warm love accorded to him during his visit. He said the enemies of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan did not want to see stability and development in the two countries and expressed confidence that both brotherly countries would defeat the scourge of terrorism together.
Islam rejects all forms of violence and extremism, he said, and called for forging unity in the ranks to collectively face all the challenges to Muslim Ummah. He also invited the president to visit Saudi Arabia at his earliest convenience. During the meeting, Imam-e-Ka’aba offered special prayers for the unity, harmony, stability, progress and prosperity of Muslim Ummah.
The president also extended his best wishes for King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the people of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan.
