President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said Pakistan attached great importance to its special relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and desired to further strengthen its bilateral cooperative relations.

The President was talking to Prof Dr Sulaiman Abdullah Abal- Khail, Rector of Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University, Riyadh and Pro-Chancellor, International Islamic University (IIU) who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The President congratulated Dr Sulaiman on his appointment as Pro-Chancellor of IIU and said the association of an eminent and erudite scholar like him augured well for the IIU.

He said, “in order to realize the aspiration of the Muslim Ummah for Islamic renaissance, we need to produce scholars and practitioners, who are imbued with Islamic ideology.”

The President said at present the Muslim Ummah was confronted with many challenges such as extremism, sectarianism and some misperceptions about Islam leading to so-called Islamophobia.

He emphasized that it was the high time for the Muslim intelligentsia and scholars like Dr Sulaiman to step forward to guide the Muslim community for meeting the contemporary challenges and spreading the true message of Islam which is peace for all.

Pak-Saudi traditional brotherly relations were also discussed during the meeting.

The President said the people of Pakistan greatly admired the concern of Khadim Al-Hermain Al-Sharifain for the well-being of Ummah.

He lauded the generosity of Saudi brethren who have always stood by their Pakistani brothers at every hour of distress.

He also acknowledged the support of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries in the education sector, especially for the International Islamic University.

The President expressed the hope that the University would greatly benefit from the outstanding professionalism and academic experience of Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Abdullah Abal-Khail.

The President said that the alumni coming from over 40 countries was the real treasure of the institution and needed to be utilized for the progress and further development of the university.

Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Abdullah Abal-Khail thanked the President for meeting and assured his best efforts for the further development of the university. He also conveyed best wishes of the Saudi King to the President. The President also conveyed his best wishes for Khadim Al-Hermain Al-Sharifain.

Source:APP