He had looke d at me with a vague, melancholy smile and replied: “Intelligence is not what it used to be. There used to be respect for intelligence and it was handled with care. We would sit with an enemy agent for a cup of coffee and the challenge was how to extract information from him or unearth any indicators that could serve as the starting point for our investigation. This first thread of information could allow us to avert life-threatening incidents. Nowadays, you deal with people like suicide bombers, who themselves are the life-threatening incidents. The responsibility now is much greater and complex, as the mission starts with questions like Who is responsible for this ideology? What are the underlying factors behind it? This is the main difference between inte lligence work then and now.”
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Cross-border Cooperation There was a high-level of cooperation between the GIP and Pakistani intelligence. Whenever I visited Pakistan, I was always met with exceptional support and respect. During one such trip in 2005, I requested a comprehensive report detailing how they confront terrorism, particularly border security and intrusions from neighboring Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia was interested in Pa kistan’s handling of these issues, given predictions of potential terrorist attacks in Iraq spilling over into the Kingdom. That year, we submitted a forward-looking security and strategic proposal to King Abdullah in partnership with our Omani counterparts on the subject of pumping oil from the Shaybah oilfield to Sohar in Oman to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. This effort necessitated coordination with our Pakistani allies and an agreement with China. The project involved building a pipeline from Pakist an’s Gwadar Port to northern China to supply the latter with oil and in return, China would express a long-term commitment and pledge to protect the project. It would not only achieve long-term strategic goals, but also be a turning point in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) states ’ ties with Pakistan, India, and China. This experience sticks to my memory because it opened up a new path for me. It confirmed my belief that a nation must be built through the hard work, loyalty, and national pride of its citizens. I felt this as a citizen of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, the cradle of Arab culture, and a country defined by dignity, courtesy, and a dedication to peace and prosperity. Jeddah as a Cultural Hub My work in the National Guard and the GIP were two important stages of my life, and gave me an opportunity to get to know and learn from people of different backgrounds. This experience also allowed me to serve my nation and community alongside like-minded individuals bound by a common commitment to sustainable development by investing in our most valuable resource: people. This was my experience while I was working at the GIP in Jeddah’s Khuzam District. We had been working with Eng Abdulaziz Kamil on an integrated cultural, humanitarian, economic, and social project since 2007 called the Khuzam District Project. Supported by the Governor of Makkah Prince Abdul Majeed, it was presented to King Abdullah by Jeddah’s Governor at the time, Eng Adel Fakeih. [27] This project was a noble effort to revive a historical district established by King Abdulaziz that hosts Jeddah’s first palace, which itself had witnessed the founding of the modern Kingdom. The palace had also served as King Abdulaziz’s personal residence and seat of government, and was located at the crossroads of Al Mina and Airport Roads, where Makkah Road begins.
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