”Consuls General Conference” held at the High Commission
Robust economic relations with UK, community facilitation and public engagement top priorities: Sahebzada Ahmed Khan
Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK chaired the Consuls General Conference convened at the High Commission on 30 July 2018. Consuls General from Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester and Glasgow as well as the officers of the High Commission attended the Conference.
The Conference covered a broad agenda including bilateral political and trade relations with the UK,improvements in efficient consular services delivery to the community, outreach to the diaspora with special focus on youth engagement and cultural and digital diplomacy.
The Consuls General apprised the High Commissioner of the functioning of their respective Consulates and outlined their plans for the future. They also informed about the matters related to the community.
The High Commissioner gave the Consuls General an elaborate plan for the future. He advised the Consuls General to step up their efforts to enhance bilateral trade with the UK and adopt a more proactive approach in attracting the Direct Foreign Investment to Pakistan, especially when there is a huge scope for it in the context of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In this regard, he asked the Consuls General to enhance their interaction with the local Chambers of Commerce and Industry and big businesses. He particularly underscored the need for early scoping out the contours of Pakistan-UK economic and trade relations, post-Brexit.
The High Commissioner emphasized on raising awareness about the human rights violations and atrocities by the security forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir(IOK), in light of the recent ‘Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
On youth engagement, the High Commissioner said he would be visiting various academic institutions to meet with the Pakistani students to initiate a discourse on matters of common interest. He particularly emphasized on arranging sports and cultural events to engage with the youth.
It was a day-long Conference in which all important issues relating to the community and bilateral relations between Pakistan and the UK were discussed in detail.
