Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday called for further strengthening bilateral ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in diverse fields, particularly economy, investment, and culture. The president, talking to Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, who along with a delegation called on him, said that Pakistan highly valued its relations with Saudi Arabia, which were based on common faith, shared history, and people-to-people ties.

Welcoming the delegation, the president reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening the existing economic partnership with the Kingdom for the mutual benefit of both the brotherly countries. He underscored the need to expand bilateral trade as great opportunities existed for investment in Pakistan in different sectors such as information technology (IT), renewable energy, industrial and infrastructure development, and the hospitality sectors.

President Alvi thanked the Saudi government for making excellent arrangements for the Hajj this year. He expressed the hope that the Saudi government would expedite the purchase of Pakistan House inside Markazziah in Madina from the compensation amount of two Pakistan Houses demolished in Madina. The president appreciated Saudi Arabia and its leadership for its steadfast support for important Muslim causes, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Palestine, and Afghanistan through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and expressed the hope that it would continue to play its important role.

He lauded the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the normalization of relations with Iran, saying that the leadership of the Saudi Crown Prince in the Muslim World was much appreciated. The visiting Saudi minister said that relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were very strong that needed to be further enhanced for the mutual benefit of the two brotherly countries.

Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah said the Kingdom would continue to provide good facilities to the pilgrims for Hajj and Umrah. President Alvi also asked the visiting dignitary to communicate his warm regards to the Saudi King and Crown Prince/Prime Minister of the Kingdom. He also thanked the Saudi government for its continued support and financial assistance to Pakistan. President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday emphasised the need for utilizing information technology to enhance the effectiveness of the auditing system.

The president, talking to Auditor General of Pakistan Muhammad Ajmal Gondal here, said it was the need of hour to adopt better internal controls, technology, automation and auditing as per international standards. The Auditor General of Pakistan presented to the president the annual report of the institution for fiscal year 2022-23. The president instructed the auditor general to take measures for further improvement in the audit system.

He said that the improvement of the audit process would help promote good governance, transparency, and accountability. He asked the auditor general to set targets for enhancing the institution’s effectiveness. He said the institution should also assist the government in the promotion of good governance. President Alvi also lauded the role of the Auditor General of Pakistan in maintaining financial discipline in the country.