JEDDAH, 16 January 2004 — A non-governmental organization to promote education, trade, investment and tourism between Pakistan and the Kingdom is to be launched in Islamabad soon.
“There is a fund of goodwill among Pakistanis for the Kingdom. We want to make use of the goodwill factor for promoting bilateral relations across those areas,” said Dr. Hussain Ahmad Piracha, a well-known educationist and columnist.
The NGO is the brainchild of Dr. Piracha, who lived in the Kingdom for 22 years and will be returning to Pakistan to take up a new assignment at the International Islamic University in Islamabad whose alumni are drawn from 51 countries.
“Besides promoting economic ties with the Kingdom, the proposed NGO will also facilitate the exchange of visits of educationists and journalists between the two countries,” Dr. Piracha said.
According to him, Pakistan can play a useful role in overhauling the curriculum of Saudi schools. “There is no dearth of talent in Pakistan. Moreover, we understand the cultural sensitivities of our Saudi brethren better than academics from the West.”
During his stay in the Kingdom, Dr. Piracha worked for the Ministry of Education in Riyadh and Taif. He remained a leading light of the Pakistani community in Taif, where his cultural activities were highly appreciated. He is also the author of “Kinaray, Kinaray,” a travelogue in Urdu based on his wealth of experience in the Kingdom and abroad.
