UK looking to deepen Pakistan ties post-Brexit: FCO official
 

LONDON: Foreign and Commonwealth Office senior official, Lesley Craig, has said in the backdrop of Brexit the United Kingdom is looking at the opportunities to deepen its ties with Pakistan and Britain sees the country as a great place to do business and investment.Craig, who delivered her government’s message at a Pakistan Day reception at High Commissioner Nafees Zakaria’s official residence on Wednesday, said Pakistan and the UK have growing and extraordinary ties which are becoming stronger with the passage of time as they share their partnership.According to a statement from the Pakistan High Commission, a large number of dignitaries, including British parliamentarians, envoys, heads of international organisations, senior British government officials, defence attaches, Pakistan community members, mayors, councillors, media representatives, and people from other walks of life attended the reception.She added that British Pakistanis make a huge contribution to all areas of life in the UK including in parliament, business, culture and education. She mentioned several high-level visits from UK to Pakistan in the recent past with many more planned for the future, which show strong bilateral relations.Craig said the resumption of British Airways to Pakistan shows great confidence in the country and would help many more people to visit UK and Pakistan — and build links.Mentioning educational ties, Craig said over the last five years, more than 33,000 Pakistanis studied in the UK. At the end of last year, the two countries jointly launched Education Gateway, an initiative that focuses on building partnerships to develop research and how to tackle significant challenges which face both the countries, she added.Craig also said the UK looks forward to welcoming Pakistan cricket team to the World Cup being held in the UK this year. She, on behalf of the UK government and the people, conveyed best wishes to all Pakistanis.High Commissioner Nafees Zakaria said: “Pakistan with its constantly strengthening democratic institutions, growing economy and 210 million strong population, half of which is under the age of 30 years, is poised to make impact as a sought-after economy.”Zakaria added: “This is reflected in the increased investor’s confidence, as more and more foreign companies show keenness to invest in Pakistan. The recent investment interests and inflows from China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Malaysia are but a few.”In his welcome remarks, the High Commissioner paid homage to the founding fathers and heroes of the Pakistan movement. He also expressed solidarity with the grief-stricken families of the Christchurch terrorist attack.About Pakistan-UK relations, Zakaria said: “The strong political goodwill between the two countries, coupled with diaspora linkages, serves as a solid foundation to build mutually beneficial relations in diverse fields.“The UK is our leading development partner, with 120 British companies already doing profitable business in Pakistan and now the British Airways has also announced resumption of its flights to Pakistan from June this year.”http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/upGdeX0MlHI

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