Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: FILE
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will leave for Britain on Monday (today) for a three-day visit to represent Pakistan at the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) which is being jointly organised by Malaysia and UK from October 29 to 31, 2013.
This is the forum’s first annual event in Europe following its previous successes in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kuwait and Pakistan.
In his address at the forum, the prime minister will highlight the need for greater cooperation among the Muslim countries in diverse areas and ask them to pitch for investment in Pakistan, his media office officials said.
He will also hold important bilateral meetings with heads of states and governments as well as with some business leaders.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to meet his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak, King Abdullah of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei, Indonesian president and the president of Kosovo.
The moot aims to boost trade partnerships between Islamic and European markets, explore London’s future as a global hub for Islamic finance and debate new solutions to global challenges — the forum aims to deliver tangible investment.
Issues covered at the forum will include harnessing the potential of women as critical growth drivers, harmonising Islamic and Western banking, exploring the export potential for high quality education in developing economies, and developing technological collaboration between Islamic and European economies.
Trilateral engagement
The foreign office informs that “Nawaz will take part in the trilateral engagements and will hold important meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and British Prime Minister David Cameron.”
The UK’s trilateral peace initiative, the fourth since summer 2012, is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan and to encourage an Afghan-led peace deal for Afghanistan. The last trilateral moot was held in February.
According to the schedule of the PM’s engagements in London, the trilateral talks will be held on October 29. During these talks, Nawaz is expected to share his government’s strategy to initiate peace negotiations with the Taliban.
The prime minister will also elaborate on the efforts rendered by his government so far to assist the reconciliation process in Afghanistan and will further reiterate Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
Nawaz and Karzai last met on August 26 when Karzai visited Pakistan to seek full support and greater cooperation in the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
Key government officials have informed that federal government has already received messages of Karzai regarding further release of Taliban prisoners and assistance in direct talks with Taliban.
The officials add that after taking political forces into confidence and evolving national consensus, PM will approve the final steps to kick off talks with Taliban as part of an inclusive anti-terrorism strategy in a few days.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2013.
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