British Shadow Secretary for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd MP meets Pak High Commissioner

LONDON: Veteran Labour Party MP, Tony Lloyd, Shadow Secretary for Northern Ireland, accompanied by prominent figures of Pakistani diaspora met Pakistan's High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria at the High Commission and took stock of bilateral relations.

A statement issued by the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) here on Friday, said during the discussion, they noted that given the strong political goodwill and profound historical linkages, the enormous prospects for bilateral economic cooperation that existed in a variety of sectors needed to be exploited to its full potential.

Both sides appreciated the pivotal role being played by the Pakistani Community in the development of UK’s different segments of society and their contributions to the British economy and strengthening of relations between the two countries.

The High Commissioner briefed the UK Shadow Secretary on the current developments in Pakistan and the prospects for investment and business opportunities for the United Kingdom to avail.

Nafees Zakaria added that the global economic gravity was shifting towards the Asian continent where Pakistan enjoyed a unique geo-strategic position to act as a natural regional economic hub and energy corridor.

He identified specific areas for investment and business opportunities.

It was realised that education sector also held great promise for cooperation.

He also briefed the guests on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and economic benefits associated with it.

Regional security also came under discussion. Zakaria briefed the Member Parliament (MP) on the grave human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).

In that regard, they noted the UN High Commissioner’s Report of June 2018, IPTK’s Report on Discovery of unnamed and unmarked mass graves, Fact-Finding Missions of OIC and All parties parliamentary group (APPG) on Kashmir and other documented accounts.

The Shadow Secretary for Northern Ireland, Tony Lloyd MP has visited Pakistan recently and remains supportive of promoting relations between Pakistan and the UK.