Khadim Harmain Sharifaen



Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is widely viewed as a compassionate King – and Saudi Arabia the Kingdom of Humanity.



This because of the leadership role that Saudi Arabia has played over many years – under the able leadership of King Abdullah – in service of humanity. On several instances, King Abdullah has extended a generous and compassionate arm of help and assistance to many in need. Some of them are described as follows:



1. In 2005, in the aftermath of the Oct. 8 earthquake in the northern areas of Pakistan, King Abdullah had said, “We will form a bridge for relief between Riyadh and Islamabad.” This bridge was indeed formed. First came his order of emergency aid for SR500 million. It was followed by a nationwide fund-raising campaign to which he made a personal donation of SR10 million. The Saudi TV then organized a telethon and this telethon collected more than SR140 million. It was followed with a large relief convoy of more than 100 containers with food stuffs, blankets, and tents.



2. In 2007, WFP hailed a generous donation $2 million from the Kingdom for its operation in Mauritania. This aid from the Kingdom was directed toward saving young children from the ravages of malnutrition.



3. In 2007, WFP thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a $1 million donation to its operations in Guinea, where humanitarian needs have been accentuated as a result of the current unrest.



4. In the March/April of 2008, when the food crisis was at a peak throughout the world, and WFP had estimated a shortfall of $0.5 billion.



 This figure had then jumped to $0.75 billion within a few weeks. As per the UN reports, the Kingdom (under the leadership of King Abdullah) came forward with a generous aid of $0.5 billion. It was considered timely and very significant contribution, as only $460 million were pooled, so far then, through scant donations from other 31 countries.



5. In 2008, UNHCR welcomed a $5m donation by the Kingdom in support of its operations for Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan.



6. In 2009, Saudi Arabia’s $100 million pledge to the UN for the specific purpose of meeting the needs of some 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), in northern Pakistan, is the largest single contribution to UNHCR.



7. In 2009, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) welcomed a $30 million aid from the Kingdom to eradicate polio worldwide.



8. In 2010, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated 15 tons of dates to UNRWA for Palestine refugees living in Lebanon.



9. In 2010, WFP welcomed a donation from the Kingdom of 1,098 metric tons of dates valued at $3.6 million to assist refugees and school children in Ethiopia.



10. In 2010, during the devastating floods in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia quietly bypassed the United States as the single largest aid donor, in real terms. The Kingdom’s commitment to helping the victims of Pakistan’s devastating floods crossed $140 million. Besides this, the Saudi military also set up a back-to-back air bridge between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that saw some 30 large cargo planes carrying hundreds of tons of relief goods transported. Apart from personal donations from the royal family, more than $120 million was collected in cash during the first 3-day international telethon.



11. The UN sid Saudi Arabia was the largest international donor to humanitarian appeals, when measured as a percentage of the national economy. The Kingdom gave 0.19 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to humanitarian funding, Sweden which gave 0.14 percent of its national product and Norway with 0.13, followed in the list of top donor countries.



12. For the expatriate guest workers in Saudi Arabia – who are more than a million strong now – the King has always been kind, compassion and considerate towards their problems and plight. He was kind enough to award an extension of grace/amnesty period to them to correct their job status and make themselves legal here.



No wonder, all of these above speak volumes about Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah. This is the reason why Pakistanis have embarked on running this campaign to especially thank  Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The messages of thanks and gratitude have been compiled from about 500 Pakistanis which is presented.