ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday greeted Saudi leaders over the Kingdom’s “historic” founding day, wishing prosperity for the two nations and their people.

This is the first time Saudi Arabia will celebrate the anniversary of the founding day of the first Saudi state on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Saudi Founding Day celebrates the founding of the first Saudi State, the Emirate of Diriyah, by Imam Muhammad Bin Saud in 1727 — which occurred in February of that year. On Jan. 27, King Salman issued a Royal Order to commemorate Feb. 22 every year as the nation’s founding day.

“On the historic Founding Day of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I extend our heartiest greetings to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HM King Salman bin Abdulaziz; HRH Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman; & brotherly people of the Kingdom,” Khan said on Twitter. “May our two countries & our people prosper.”

“Taking into account that the middle of the year 1139H, corresponding to the month of February of the year 1727, signals the commencement of the reign of Imam Muhammad Bin Saud, marking his founding of the first Saudi State,” the King’s Royal Order read.

The King said he took “great pride in the deep roots of this blessed state and its citizens’ firm bonds with its leaders which began three centuries ago with the reign of Imam Muhammad Bin Saud when he founded the first Saudi State in the middle of 1139H (early 1727), lasting until 1233H (1818), with Diriyah as its capital and the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as its constitution, and which provided unity and security in the Arabian Peninsula following centuries of fragmentation, dissension and instability, and survived attempts of elimination.”