Pakistani expats in Saudi Arabia may reach 2.5 million soon: envoy

RIYADH: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt Gen Bilal Akbar (Retd) has said that with two million Pakistani expatriates already working in the kingdom, the number was expected to reach around 2.5 million in the coming years due to increased human resource requirements under the 2030 vision of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who enjoy broad-based strategic relations rooted deep in history, culture, religion and people-to-people contacts, have inter-dependence,” he said in an interaction with APP ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s October 23 to 25 official visit to Saudi Arabia.

The prime minister during his visit at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will attend the launching ceremony of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit in Riyadh.

Besides attending the summit and sharing Pakistan’s experiences in the success of Billion Tree Tsunami initiative as one of the lead speakers, the premier will also address the Pakistan-Saudi Investment Forum.

The forum, being organised in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Investment, will provide an opportunity to the entrepreneurs of the two countries to explore the prospects of business and investment at bilateral level for a win-win situation, he added.

Lt Gen Akbar (Retd) said that a delegation of Pakistani businessmen was also visiting Saudi Arabia to attend the forum.

Highlighting the close and fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, he said, as Saudi Arabia was a well-wisher of Pakistan and its people, Pakistan also had always stood with the kingdom and assured its territorial integrity.

The ambassador also said that the recent release of Pakistani prisoners by Saudi Arabia, including 50 from Qaseem province, as well as the commitment for release of another 24 prisoners from Hail province depicted the close bilateral relations.

The Pakistani community, including students, were also contributing in the Green Initiative and planting trees and saplings in various parts of the kingdom, he added.