ISLAMABAD  -  President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday conferred Nishan-i-Pakistan award on Minister for Defence Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, in a Special Investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers, military top brass and members of the diplomatic corps.

The award was conferred in recognition of Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud’s meritorious services for Pakistan and its people, enhancing defence coopera­tion, strengthening of bilat­eral ties and contributions towards peace efforts in the region. Saudi Arabia’s Minis­ter for Defence Prince Khalid Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud called on Prime Min­ister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Saturday and discussed regional matters and cooperation in defence.

Minister for Defence Kha­waja Asif and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Mu­nir also attended the meeting held here at the PM House. 

During the meeting, the two sides held an in-depth discussion on bilateral mat­ters. Issues related to region­al peace, security and situa­tion in the region also came under discussion.

The Prime Minister and Saudi Defence Minister ex­changed views on increasing cooperation between the two countries in the areas of de­fence and security.

He congratulated the De­fence Minister on receiv­ing Pakistan’s highest civ­il award Nishan-e-Pakistan and thanked him for attend­ing the Pakistan Day Parade as the chief guest.

PM Sharif requested the Saudi dignitary to convey his best wishes and immense gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman Bin Ab­dul Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Sal­man Al Saud. He said Paki­stan was looking forward to the visit of His Royal High­ness Crown Prince Moham­med Bin Salman. The Prime Minister underlined that Pa­kistan and Saudi Arabia had close brotherly ties based on the common religion, history and culture, which were fur­ther strengthening with the passage of time. 

Pakistan, he said, greatly valued its relations with Sau­di Arabia, adding that Saudi Arabia fully supported Paki­stan through thick and thin. 

Sharif said during his previ­ous tenure as a prime minister, Saudi Arabia played a critical role in improving the econom­ic condition of Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have a spe­cial place in their hearts for the Saudi royal family, he add­ed. About the Special Invest­ment Facilitation Council, the Prime Minister said ‘one win­dow operation’ was created for the investors through the establishment of the council, which would facilitate busi­ness activities and invest­ment. He said that immense opportunities were present in Pakistan in different fields including agriculture, live­stock, information technolo­gy, mining, renewable energy, etc. The Prime Minister also underlined the need for fur­ther cooperation between Pa­kistan and Saudi Arabia in the fields of defence and economy. The Saudi Defence Minister felicitated the Prime Minister on assuming his office and ex­pressed best wishes for him. He thanked Pakistan for invit­ing him as a chief guest for the Pakistan Day parade and said he had the opportunity to wit­ness the best capabilities of the Armed Forces of Pakistan during the parade. 

He mentioned that the re­cent visit of Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir to Saudi Arabia was very im­portant and fruitful to further promote defence relations be­tween the two countries. Min­ister of Defence, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Saturday attended the Pakistan Day Parade and thanked Army Chief, General Syed Asim Munir for inviting him as Guest of Honour at the occasion. The Minister of De­fence of Saudi Arabia received a warm welcome on his arriv­al at Noor Khan Air Base spe­cially participated in the Joint Services Pakistan Day Parade of the Armed Forces as Guest of Honour, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said. Upon arrival at the Parade, Defence Minis­ter Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir welcomed Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Ab­dulaziz Al Saud.