Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are working on a mechanism to jointly fight terrorism, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said in Riyadh on Saturday.

“Terrorism is our common enemy and we want to eradicate it from the face of the earth. The enemies of the Kingdom are our enemies too. We are working to put in place an effective mechanism to fight them,” Malik said.

Pakistan always believed in the wisdom of the Saudi leadership and looks to it for guidance and support, he said.

“We are in agreement with the Saudi leadership that terrorists are not only working against the interest of both nations but also against the Ummah (Islamic World). They have their own version of Islam in which they use minors as suicide bombers and kill hundreds of innocents every day. We want the true spirit and teaching of our divine faith to prevail. We want books in the hands of our children, but the Taleban provide them with suicide vests. This must stop”, he said.

“And we are working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in that direction and, soon, we will be able to curb extremism and violence in the name of religion to make this world free of terror,” Malik added.

Malik met with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal and, apart from terror-related issues, discussed regional security and stability. He also briefed him about the progress of the investigation into Saudi Diplomat Hassan Misfer Al-Qahtani's killing in Karachi on May 15th.

“We have the weapon that was used in Al-Qahtani's killing. We also have an important lead in this case and we will crack it soon. I am meeting with Interior Minister Prince Naif and will discuss at length security and other issues,” Malik said.

Speaking about the detention of Osama Bin Laden's family in Pakistan, the minister said: “The nationalities of many have not yet been conclusively established, so it was not possible to deport them. Secondly, a judicial commission, headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, has been formed to probe the circumstances leading to the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Bin Laden. They will be needed to testify before the commission,” Malik said. (Arab News)