British Parliamentarians and MEP meet the High Commissioner

London: MEP John Howarth, Labour Party Shadow Treasurer, MP Anneliese Dodds, and MP Matt Rodda, Shadow Education Minister, accompanied by prominent members of Pakistani Community met with the High Commissioner, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, at the Pakistan High Commission, London on 08 May 2019.

The High Commissioner warmly welcomed the Parliamentarians and Diaspora members.

The High Commissioner and the visiting Parliamentarians reviewed the state of bilateral relations, particularly, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. They noted that there was enormous potential for economic cooperation in a variety of sectors to the mutual advantage of both the countries.

Both sides also recognized that the sizeable British–Pakistani Community, was one of the strongest pillars in the relationship between the two countries. They acknowledged the contributions of Pakistani Community to the British economy, developments in various other segments of British society and promotion of bilateral relations.

The High Commissioner availed the opportunity to brief the Parliamentarians on the developments in Pakistan and highlighted the prospects for investment and business opportunities for the friendly countries to venture in. Reflecting on the growing global economic focus towards the region of Pakistan’s location and successive democratic transition, Mr. Zakaria identified specific areas for investment and business opportunities, including infrastructure development in tourism sector, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), education, food-processing, and medicine sector.

He also briefed them on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  and economic prospects associated to it for the regional and friendly countries like the UK to benefit from in the near future.

They also discussed the security situation in the region and human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) with reference to the UN High Commissioner’s Report of June 2018, Fact-finding Missions of OIC and APPG on Kashmir and other documented accounts.

Both sides noted that the security of the region and economic exploitation for the benefit of impoverished population concentrated in the region were intrinsically linked to the resolution of the conflicts in the region.

The Parliamentarians appreciated High Commissioner’s briefing and his initiative to promote bilateral cooperation in the higher education sector.

The Parliamentarians accepted the invitation of the High Commissioner to visit Pakistan to further explore the prospects of economic cooperation.