Dar opens new Jeddah chancery amid flurry of OIC diplomacy

FM advances strategic, bilateral and Ummah-wide priorities during Saudi visit

JEDDAH:

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's engagements in Jeddah combined diplomacy with diaspora outreach, as he inaugurated a major consular facility and held a series of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) extraordinary ministerial session.

Dar formally inaugurated the new chancery building of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah during a brief ceremony attended by Pakistan's Ambassador Ahmad Farooq, Consul General Syed Mustafa Rabbani, Saudi dignitaries, community representatives and consulate officials.

The ceremony included the hoisting of the national flag, tree plantation in the chancery lawn, ribbon-cutting, plaque unveiling and special prayers for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, followed by a video presentation outlining the project's design and functional features.

Praising the consulate's efforts and Saudi authorities' cooperation, Dar reaffirmed the government's commitment to effective consular services for overseas Pakistanis, expressed satisfaction over the completed facility, and authorised the earliest transfer of operations to the new building.

Noting that Saudi Arabia's western region hosts around 1.8 million Pakistanis, he said the new chancery would significantly ease access to services for the expatriate community, reflecting Islamabad's broader focus on overseas citizens' welfare.

On the diplomatic front, Dar met Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khereiji, with both sides agreeing to further strengthen the Pakistan-Saudi strategic partnership and reaffirming close coordination within the OIC for regional peace, stability and security.