ISLAMABAD  -  Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday told the Deputy Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood that Pakistan had placed the names of as many as 4,300 beggars on the no-fly list to stop them from travelling to Gulf countries. He further said zero tolerance policy had been adopted against beggars going to Saudi Arabia. The interior minister held a meeting with the deputy interior minister of Saudi Arabia. Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al Maliki was also present on the occasion. During the meeting, issues of mutual interest and development of Pak-Saudi relations were discussed in detail, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Moreover, joint training of paramilitary forces and police were also discussed. Mohsin Naqvi proposed to declare Islamabad and Riyadh as twin cities and the Saudi deputy minister of Interior agreed to it. Further necessary steps will be taken in this regard. Furthermore, the crackdown on the mafia that sends beggars from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia was also discussed. Both sides also agreed to implement the prisoner exchange agreement. In this regard, the legal process for the repatriation of 419 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia will be completed soon.

“Saudi Arabia is our brother Islamic country and we will ensure all possible steps for the promotion of bilateral cooperation,” said Naqvi. He further said that effective crackdown was being ensured across the country against mafia sending beggars to Saudi Arabia. He highlighted that there is no visa for Saudi nationals visiting Pakistan and they can come whenever they want.

The interior minister praised the vision 2030 of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman and said under the current leadership, Saudi Arabia would achieve a prominent position in the economic, social and economic fields of the world by the cut-off date. The deputy minister said Saudi Arabia had very close relations with Pakistan and desired to further enhance these relations. He agreed to the mutual exchange and joint training of paramilitary forces and police. The special secretary and additional secretary interior, commandant Frontier Constabulary and chief  commissioner, police chief as well as deputy commissioner of Islamabad also attended the meeting.