ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will join hands to confront global challenges, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said here on Friday.

Talking to Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Marzouk Al Zahrani who called on him, the speaker said that the new year had come with new regional and global problems for the Ummah that needed to be addressed through mutual cooperation by Muslim countries.

He underlined the need to rectify the distorted image of Islam projected by the extremists and propagated by the western media as an intolerant and violent religion.

Mr Sadiq said Islam was a religion of peace that abhorred terrorism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations.

Highlighting Pakistan’s contribution in the war against terrorism, he said the country had suffered immense social, economic and human losses.

He said the government was committed to rooting out the menace under the National Action Plan through better civil-military coordination.

The country’s fight against terrorism would continue till the extermination of the last terrorist, he said.

The speaker said Pakistan attached immense importance to its historic relations with Saudi Arabia that were deeply rooted in religion and culture.

The support both countries extended to each other on various issues and forums was a manifestation of their strong ties, he said.

He said the Pak-Saudi Parliamen­tary Friendship Group in the National Assembly was an effective way to bring closer both the nations, specially their parliaments.

Ambassador Zahrani said Saudi Arabia also desired to consolidate the brotherly relations through parliamentary and economic cooperation.

Praising the contribution of Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia, he said his government was keen to encourage more Pakistani human resource to take part in vast construction projects under way in the country.

The ambassador agreed that dispelling propaganda against Islam should be the priority of Muslims.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2016