Pakistan PM asks officials to ‘immediately remove’ obstacles to Saudi Development Fund projects

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered officials to resolve obstacles to pending projects backed by the Saudi Development Fund while its representatives were on an ongoing visit to the South Asian nation.An SDF delegation met the PM in Islamabad on Monday to discuss ongoing projects as well as explore avenues of future cooperation. The group was led by the SDF’s General Director for Asia, Dr. Saud Al-Shammari.During the meeting, the PM “directed the concerned Pakistani authorities to immediately remove the obstacles in the way of pending projects related to the Saudi Development Fund,” the PM’s Office said in a statement.”The Prime Minister also directed the Special Task Force for Saudi Arabia, which consists of Federal Minister for Investment Board Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Adviser to the Prime Minister Ahad Cheema and Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi and Jahanzeb Khan to assist the Saudi delegation in Pakistan and solve the problems with all the stakeholders during the stay.”Sharif called on the Saudi group to invest in the solar energy sector in Pakistan and said his government was paying “special attention” to promoting cheap and clean energy sources to save foreign exchange and prove affordable electricity.The PM said Saudi Arabia had always supported Pakistan “on internal and external fronts” and extended gratitude to King Salman Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support to Pakistan after recent floods.”The prime minister further said that Saudi Arabia played an important role in the development of Pakistan in the form of grants and loans and investment,” the statement said.Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial relations, with over 2.5 million Pakistanis living in the Kingdom, which is the largest contributor of remittances to the South Asian nation.