PAKISTAN and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed fraternal and special relations but over the last few years, it is really heartening to note that both the sides have started working towards transforming these strong bonds into building a strong partnership in diverse spheres.
And one such field is the promotion of cooperation in the area of arts and culture. Saudi Embassy and Saudi Ministry of Culture in collaboration with Pakistan National Council of the Arts organized an exhibition in Islamabad, depicting the art work of four Saudi women artistes. The people of Pakistan once again proved their true love and affection for the Kingdom by visiting the exhibition in large numbers. The people were highly impressed with the creativity and skills of the Saudi women. The exhibition was first of its kind in Pakistan and we expect that this process will continue in future as well to bring the peoples of two countries further close to each other. Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf Bin Said Al Maliki really deserves appreciation for showing great interest in promoting the culture and art of his country as per the vision of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Vision 2030, the brainchild of the Saudi Crown Prince, also envisages the transformation of the Kingdom as a vibrant society with focus on promotion of Saudi culture and the greater role of women in its socio-economic development. This is the reason we are seeing the Kingdom investing heavily on art and culture. Due to common faith, the culture of both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has many affinities. But since every country’s culture has its uniqueness and that of the Saudi Arabia has a rich one which is very close to the hearts of Pakistanis, we, therefore, expect that these cultural links, visits, shows and exchanges will be further promoted in the days ahead. In fact there is great potential of cooperation in this field which needs to be exploited in full. Pakistan has started screening its films in Saudi Arabia and both the countries can cooperate further by exchange of films as well as joint production ventures. Our cultural institutions such as the PNCA and performing arts academies could also support Saudi Arabia by training their stage artistes, producers, directors and other related professionals. Enhanced cooperation in this sphere will certainly give a new dimension and horizon to the already strong bonds.
