ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has declared the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be the global influential figure of 2018, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The honor was granted to him for his efforts in supporting Islam and taking care of the Two Holy Mosques, in addition to championing key humanitarian issues including Palestine, Yemen, Syria and the protection of Muslim minorities. He was also recognized for his support of Pakistan and the peace process with neighboring India.

President Dr. Arif Alvi handed a certificate to Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, who is Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan.

Alvi said there were strong bilateral relations in all fields and that these ties contributed to stability and security in the region.

The imam of Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Dr. Sheikh Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani, urged Muslims around the world to demonstrate unity and overcome the challenges like terrorism and extremism.

“As long as Muslims are united, no force in the world can defeat them,” he said at the 4th Paigham-e-Islam — or Message of Islam — conference in the Pakistani capital that was attended by hundreds of delegates.

Al-Juhani said he brought good wishes from the Saudi government. “Pakistan is an important country in the Muslim world, and we hold her in high esteem,” he said on Sunday. “Saudi Arabia is a peace-loving country and has always played a positive role in mitigating the sufferings of Muslims across the globe.”

Alvi said Pakistan had defeated terrorism through sacrifice. “The whole world now recognizes the sacrifices rendered by our armed forces in the war against terror,” he told the conference.

The president said more than 70,000 Pakistanis had laid down their lives to protect their motherland and to flush out terrorism.

He added that Pakistan had also set an example for the rest of the world by granting refuge to “our Afghan brothers in ... testing times.”

The Saudi envoy, who was also at the conference, said his government had remained at the forefront of “serving Muslims” across the globe.

“All Muslims are like one body, and we feel their pain and suffering irrespective of regional boundaries,” Al-Malki said, adding that the Saudi government had organized numerous conferences to help the causes of Muslims.