Alisherzai made the comments at a Pakistani community gathering in Jeddah on Thursday following Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the Kingdom.
Singh was accorded an unprecedented welcome in Riyadh with Saudi Arabia and India signing 10 key economic and political accords, including the Kingdom’s first-ever extradition treaty.
But Alisherzai was not impressed. He said as Pakistan’s ambassador it was his responsibility to keep his community updated. According to him, Singh’s visit got so much importance because an Indian prime minister was visiting Saudi Arabia after a gap of 28 years.
Saudi-Pak ties are time-tested and will further grow with the passage of time, said the ambassador, adding that the Kingdom hosts a large number of Pakistanis who play an important role in the country’s economy. He advised his community to refrain from involvement in politics and try to abide by the Kingdom’s rules and regulations.
He also called on staff at the Pakistan International School, Jeddah, not to indulge in petty politics and concentrate on improving the standard of education. Alisherzai also spoke on the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, saying that his country had passed through a difficult phase.
