Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has pledged full support to Saudi Arabia in advancing cricket and constructing modern stadiums. This commitment came during a meeting with Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud in Riyadh.
Naqvi offered Pakistan’s expertise in cricket development, including a player exchange program to train Saudi players in Pakistan. He also proposed assistance in constructing state-of-the-art cricket stadiums in the kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia is like a second home for every Pakistani. We are honored to support cricket development and stadium construction here,” Naqvi stated.
Prince Saud praised Pakistan’s cricket legacy and expressed interest in fostering stronger ties. He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s achievements in the sport, including winning the Asian Cricket Council Challenge Cup, and its growing base of 18,000 players.
“We look forward to collaborating with Pakistan to further grow cricket in Saudi Arabia,” Prince Saud added.
Naqvi invited Prince Saud to Pakistan to attend the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches.
In addition to cricket-related discussions, Naqvi visited the King Fahd Security College, where he met Major General Dr. Ali Al-Daij. He lauded the college’s advanced training programs and discussed potential exchange initiatives to enhance security cooperation between the two nations.
At the Saudi Directorate of Passports, Naqvi was welcomed by Acting Director General Major General Dr. Saleh Al-Murabaa. He commended Saudi Arabia’s modern passport systems and proposed adopting similar measures in Pakistan, including establishing a call center modeled after Saudi practices.
The meeting also addressed the issue of 3,700 Pakistanis detained at Saudi airports for traveling with tampered or fake documents. Naqvi emphasized the importance of collaboration to identify offenders within Pakistan and strengthen measures against passport fraud.
“With Saudi Arabia’s guidance, we aim to detect and prevent forgery at the source,” Naqvi concluded.
