During his visit to Riyadh, Mohsin Naqvi praises Saudi higher education and talks about cooperation.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with officials at the Saudi directorate of passports to inspect facilities and hailed developments in higher education during his visit to a college in Riyadh on Wednesday, according to Radio Pakistan.

With the signing of almost 30 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements totaling $2.8 billion, which span industries like manufacturing, agriculture, information technology, and energy, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have lately increased their bilateral cooperation.

Naqvi met with Dr. Ali Al Duaij, the director general of the King Fahd Security College (KFSC), during his visit today. They talked about training and study tours for graduates from both nations.

In addition to touring the college’s Forensic Science Institute, Radio Pakistan said that “he visited various departments of the college and appreciated the quality of higher education.”

According to the newspaper, “he was briefed on the occasion that the college offers scholarships to international students along with Masters’ degrees in artificial intelligence, leadership management, and security studies.”

It said that Naqvi valued the master’s program and five-year strategic plan, describing them as appropriate for the needs of the modern world.

The monarchy said last year that it will expand scholarships for students from Pakistan and start an exchange program that would allow teachers to study the biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Visiting the passports directorate
Additionally, Naqvi went to the Saudi Directorate of Passports, where Dr. Saleh Al Murabba, the Acting Director General, greeted him.

The interior ministry said in a post on X that Naqvi toured the contact center and visited many divisions inside the Directorate of Passports.

In addition to discussing practical ways to streamline the passport collection and issuance procedure and guard against forgeries, Naqvi also examined the Directorate’s cutting-edge technologies and e-gates.

Naqvi was also reported in the post as adding, “The Saudi Directorate of Passports’ assistance could prove useful in making the passport system in Pakistan more straightforward and foolproof.” The public will benefit from mutual cooperation and be protected from deception.

Additionally, it stated that a call center modeled like the Saudi Directorate of Passports would be established in Pakistan. Those who falsify passports and change documents can be apprehended in Pakistan itself with Saudi Arabia’s assistance.

In a high-level meeting yesterday in Riyadh, Naqvi met with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, and the two agreed to deepen their security cooperation.

A complex relationship based on shared Islamic history, strategic military collaboration, and economic interests has long existed between Islamabad and Riyadh.

Naqvi’s visit follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two-day official trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, during which he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan, earlier this month, Saudi Arabia extended a $3 billion deposit made with Pakistan for an additional year in order to keep supporting the economy.