Istanbul mayor set to arrive in City

Kadir Topbas will inaugurate radio cab service

LAHORE: Kadir Topbas, the mayor of Istanbul, will arrive in Lahore on an official two-day visit beginning on Monday, government functionaries told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

Topbas, who was awarded a warm welcome and an honorary PhD by the Government College University (GCU) during his previous visit in March, 2012 will attend the inauguration of a radio cab service being introduced in the Punjab by a Turkish concern.

“The radio cabs will be equipped with modern navigation and security features. The provincial government and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will also ink an MoU on increasing cooperation in the transport sector,” an official from the Chief Minister’s Office told The Express Tribune.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Topbas will also inaugurate a business exhibition in which Turkish investors are set to participate. Topbas will also visit selected historic sites in the city including the Badshahi Masjid and the Lahore Museum.

“The mayor had helped the Punjab government on solid waste management and there could also be some discussion about the system that has been put in place in Lahore and other cities,” officials told The Express Tribune.

US Consul Genera calls on Shahbaz:

United States Consul General Zachary Harkenrider called on the chief minister on Saturday. Promotion of bilateral relations and ways of increasing cooperation in various sectors particularly including the energy sector were discussed in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Sharif said friendship between Pakistan and the United States was multifaceted. He said increasing bilateral cooperation in the energy sector was a positive development. The chief minister said both, Pakistan and the United States had partnered with each other to promote tolerance and moderation. He said both states were on the same page in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2016.