RIYADH — Majlis-e-Pakistan and Pakistan Investors Forum arranged a welcome reception for Sen. Siraj ul Haq (Emir Jamaat E Islami Pakistan) here recently. Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq presided over the event that took place at Corporate Solutions Office (Knowledge Core Training Center) which is also functioning as Secretariat of Pakistan Investors Forum. After recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an by Abdur Rahman, Shamshad Ali Siddiqui was invited to introduce the objectives of Pakistan Investors Forum. In his speech, he pointed out that over $15 billion remittances from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan is being sent every year which is playing a vital role to fuel Pakistan economy. On the contrary, with regrets, he stated that Overseas Pakistanis are not given due importance by the Pakistan government. Whereas, other countries accord respect to their overseas workers and Investors and they are given privileged facilitation. Moreover, Siddiqui drew the attention of Sen. Siraj to raise this point in Senate and other high level forums. Further he demanded that Overseas Pakistanis must be allowed to cast their vote and elect their representatives for National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan. Dr. Asif Queshi, president of Majli-e-Pakistan, welcomed the senator and Ambassador Manzoor and thanked them for sparing their valuable time to honor a collective reception of Majlis and PIF. Dr. Asif briefed about their activities and brought to the knowledge of honorable guests and audience that besides inauguration of national days, their forum has been arranging seminars on national and international issues. Sen. Siraj, in his remarks, said he was very proud and honored to address elite Pakistani business community of Riyadh. The senator assured Siddiqui that his concerns will be raised in Senate and other national forums. He emphasized that the prosperity of Pakistan lies in Islamic ideology which was narrated by the father of the nation Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Sen. Siraj said that Pakistan does not mean piece of a land but represents the ideology of Islam which means submission to Allah in all respects. Furthermore, he pointed out that peace and prosperity of the country is directly related to one language and unified education system hence; he desired to have Urdu as national language and progressive educational system to meet the demands of Madaris and modern educational institutes. The senator passed his gratitude at the inauguration of the event and was very pleased and thankful to the organizers of Majlis-e-Pakistan, Pakistan Investors Forum and above all the ambassador for his presence and participation. Ambassador Manzoor in his address appreciated the joint efforts of Pakistan Investors Forum and Majlis-e-Pakistan in organizing today's event to show their respect towards Sen. Siraj. He pointed out that Pakistan has gone through a very disturbed phase, however, the present economic indicators are showing the signs of healthy and stable business environment. He encouraged the business community to invest in underdeveloped areas of Pakistan to support the national economy. He assured the utmost support of the Pakistani Embassy in addressing various issues related to the Pakistani community. He asked the business community to step forward and collaborate with Saudi nationals to invest in opening new schools to address the ever increasing demand of Pakistani community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this regard the Embassy is willing to extend all kind of support to open new schools. The President of Pakistan Investors Forum Muhammad Asghar Qureshi thanked Ambassador Manzoor and the Sen. Siraj for their acceptance of invitation on behalf of both forums and business community. Qureshi was very thankful to Emir Jamaat e Islami for their continuous support on the burning issue of Kashmir. The Commercial Attaché of Pakistan Embassy Waseem Hayat Bajwa, who is also member of Executive Committee of Pakistan Investors Forum, and renowned businessman Rana Abdur Rauf, who is also chairman of Majlis-e-Pakistan, were among the prominent participants. Bajwa has always effectively acted as a bridge between the business community and the Pakistan Embassy. The program was conducted by Hafiz Abdul Waheed, General Secretary of Majlis-e-Pakistan. The program concluded with lunch arranged in the honor of guests.
