ISLAMABAD: Britain’s former foreign secretary David Miliband on Monday called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House and discussed matters of mutual interest, including regional and security issues of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to an official handout, matters of mutual interest and bilateral relations came under discussion during the meeting which was also attended by UK’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Philip Barton. Miliband, who is also the president of International Rescue Committee (IRC), apprised the prime minister about matters relating to the IRC, which is a global NGO offering relief, development, humanitarian aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution or natural disaster.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and special assistant to prime minister, Tariq Fatemi, were also present during the meeting.
The sources said that Chaudhry Nisar and Fatemi apprised Milliband about the security situation of Pakistan and Afghanistan in reference to the recent visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Regional issues including cross border firing by India was also discussed, said the handout. Miliband, the member of opposition party in the UK, also discussed the situation of internally displaced persons due to the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the Afghan refugees.
Britain is to hold a conference in the last week of November over the Afghan issue where Nawaz and Ghani will be meeting again. The objective of the conference is to develop a roadmap for the implementation of promises made by international community regarding the rebuilding of Afghanistan. British Premier David Cameron has already served an invitation to Nawaz, who has accepted the same.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ