Trip concludes: Tajik president plants tree at Shakarparian

Emomali Rahmon’s two-day visit led to severe traffic jams in the twin cities.

ISLAMABAD: The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon’s two-day visit came to an end on Friday, much to the relief of the twin cities’ commuters who faced relentless traffic jams.

During his official engagements on Friday, the Tajik president planted Magnolia Grandiflora tree at the International Friendship Garden of Shakarparian.

While praising the natural beauty of Islamabad, Rahmon said that the green character of the city is impressive and the efforts of the Capital Development Authority that turned barren lands into a lush green city are admirable. He said that he himself is fond of gardening and a great lover of the environment.

It was the Tajik president’s sixth visit to Pakistan and the ties between the two countries have significantly improved, with increased collaboration in trade, investment and joint ventures between their private sectors.

The President of Tajikistan was also presented a photo album of his official engagements in the federal capital during his visit.

Meanwhile, roads in Rawalpindi and Islamabad that had clogged during the Tajik president’s visit seemed to clear out on Friday after two days of excessive traffic jams.

What compounded the misery  was the recently held visit of the prime minister of Belarus and a senior general of China.

The Tajik president left for his country pledging on enhancing bilateral connectivity and collaborating in the energy sector.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif bid farewell to Rahmon at the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi.

The premier earlier had an exclusive meeting with the Tajik president at the Governor’s House in Murree, where they were also briefed about the CASA-1000 project, aimed at provision of electricity to Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2015.