Zubair Qureshi
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the religious attaché at the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad on Monday inaugurated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman programmes for Iftar and distribution of dates and copies of the Holy Qur’an for the Islamic year 1444 AH.
These programmes are carried out in cooperation with Islamic societies in various cities and regions of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The inauguration took place in the presence of Saudi Ambassador H.E. Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki, Religious Attache of the Saudi Embassy Abdul MajeedMushaan Al-Ateebi and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, several Pakistani officials and the Saudi embassy personnel.
The programmes include the distribution of thousands of comprehensive Ramazan food baskets, tons of dates and thousands of the copies of Quran among the individuals.
While expressing his gratitude on the launch of the King Slaman Ramazan Programmes, Ambassador Al-Malki said the Saudi government took pride in these programmes as they were launched following directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Ramazan in several countries, including Pakistan and target the poor families across the country.
The Saudi ambassador said through these initiatives, families, orphans and widows are provided much-needed assistance. Their lives are eased and they find joy and relief through these programmes, the Saudi ambassador said and noted it was the first and the foremost wish of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to bring smiles to their faces and provide them with some support to live a better life.
Religious Attache of the Saudi Embassy said these programmes are implemented under the leadership of the Saudi Minister for Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Abdulaziz in various countries and have received immense appreciation of the Pakistani people.
As an annual feature, the Saudi Embassy in Pakistan donates Ramazan food packages to the needy in various regions and provinces of the country, while the Saudi government distributes tons of dates during the month. Fasting during Ramazan is one of the five pillars of Islam, where Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset for a month. This is followed by the sighting of the new moon and is marked by Eid-ul-Fitr, a religious holiday and celebration that is observed by Muslims across the world. In Pakistan, the Saudi dates are considered a symbol of Pakistan-Saudi friendship and people await around the year to receive this much-prized gift.
