JEDDAH: Dr. Issam bin Saad bin Saeed is a state minister, cabinet member, and acting minister of media. Last week, the Council of Ministers met to discuss the Islamic Scholars’ Conference on Afghanistan. The dialogue, which began in Jeddah and concluded in Makkah, was chaired by King Salman and welcomed an inclusive dialogue from prominent Islamic scholars from Afghanistan, among other countries. Acting Minister of Media bin Saad said the Cabinet session welcomed constructive dialogue to bring about a positive outcome in restoring peace and stability in the country. The weekly Cabinet session discussed ways of achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan with the ultimate goal of deterring terrorism and extremism in the war-torn country. Bin Saad earned his bachelor’s degree from King Saud University, after which he attained his master’s and Ph.D. degrees, both in law from Cairo University. He has served in the judicial branches as both a legal researcher and as assistant to the chairman of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers, in 1984 and 2003 respectively. In 2006, he was appointed as chief of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers. In December 2014, King Abdullah issued a royal decree assigning bin Saad as minister of state and member of the Council of Ministers in addition to his current duties as chief of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers. In 2015, he was appointed the interim housing minister and tasked with managing Saudi Arabia’s Real Estate Development Fund, as well as having direct responsibility over the management of residential property within the Kingdom. In April 2016, he was appointed minister of civil service, a position he would occupy until October 2017.