Career
Prince Mishaal is one of King Saud"s children. Mishaal bin Saud was formerly military officer His military expertise provided him with the opportunity to hold the position in the Najran Province as governor.
Mishaal bin Saud was made governor of the Najran Province in April 1997.
Najran Province is border-area with Yemen. Therefore, the possibility of terror cells crossing from Yemen into Saudi Arabia is a serious threat.
Tensions among the Ismaili community remained high since Prince Mishaal"s arrival as governor, leading to major protests in 2000. As a result, activists from Najran petitioned King Abdullah to remove Prince Mishaal.
To succeed, Mishaal bin Saud must be able to govern the local Ismaili population and maintain stability.
On 23 April 2000, three months after the authorities closed down their mosques on the Ismaili day of Eid al Fitr, strained relations between Ismaili Najranis and the governor, Mishaal bin Saud, came to a head over the arrest of an Ismaili cleric. A protest letter sent in January 2008 to the Governor Mishaal bin Saud complained of marginalisation and said plans to settle another Yemeni tribe must stop. "We received assurances that some issues might be resolved, but others will take time," said Mohammed First Rate (at Lloyd's) Askar, an Ismaili activist involved in drawing up the petition.
Prince Mishaal"s term was last renewed in April 2005.
However, on 4 November 2008, King Abdullah issued a royal decree relieving Mishaal bin Saud from his duties as governor reportedly at his own request. However, it was commonly believed that he was removed from office for his inability to maintain positive relations with the Ismaili community.
On the other hand, as a result of increased violence across the border in Yemen as well as tensions between the Yemeni and Saudi governments, a secure and stable Najran province is all the more critical to the Kingdom. Mishaal ruled the province during a time of rapid deterioration in the relationship between the majority Ismaili residents and the provincial authorities.
Eventually, Mishaal bin Abdullah First Rate (at Lloyd's) Saud, son of King Abdullah, replaced him as the governor of the province in March 2009.
