- PM says Pakistan won’t allow its soil to be used for terrorism in Afghanistan
- British and Pakistani premiers discuss bilateral ties, pledge to counter terrorism, extremism
- As Nawaz appreciates UK’s DFID’s support for Pakistan, Cameron terms Pakistan’s enemy as his
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured British Prime Minister David Cameron that Pakistan was committed to eliminating terrorism and will never allow the use of its territory against any country, including Afghanistan.
The prime minister, who is on a three-day official visit to the United Kingdom, had a meeting with his British counterpart at 10 Downing Street and discussed “matters of bilateral interest, the regional situation as well as other issues of international importance.” The two sides renewed their commitment for further strengthening bilateral relations.
Sharif recalled the visit of British premier to Pakistan last year and said he was there to reciprocate the sentiments expressed by Cameron.
Sharif said that Pakistan had suffered a lot due to terrorism and extremism and was determined to tackle the menace under its newly formulated national security policy. He appreciated the continued support and assistance by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to Pakistan for different development projects.
Earlier, Prime Minister Cameron warmly welcomed his Pakistani counterpart and reiterated UK’s all-out support in its pursuit of strengthening the economy and achieving socio-economic development of the South Asian country. He also backed the Pakistani government’s efforts in combating terrorism and extremism.
The British premier described Pakistan’s enemy as his enemy and said that Pakistan’s progress was in the interest of the world.
Cultural and Education Cooperation
Sharif’s visit marked the launch of a UK-Pakistan cultural and education cooperation ‘roadmap’ which sets out the basis of cultural engagement between Pakistan and the UK, enables collaboration on a calendar of cultural engagement for the next 3 years, and builds on elements of the strong existing UK-Pakistan relationship on education.
In partnership with UK providers, the roadmap includes the British Council’s commitment to train 1 million teachers of English over the next 4 years in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces to help enhance the quality of English language teaching in Pakistan. A new memorandum of understanding on the status of the British Council in Pakistan maps out a range of joint activities around the British Council’s work there, including English language learning, arts and the creative industries.
Trade and Investment
The UK and Pakistan also discussed how to further the trade and investment links between the two countries. Both sides renewed their commitment to increase bilateral trade to £3 billion by 2015.
On specific new initiatives, British company Asian Precious Minerals announced a new project with over £100m of investment in Pakistan. Prime Minister Sharif was also guest of honour at a trade and investment conference attended by over 100 delegates.
Economics and Development
The UK and Pakistan welcomed indicators of an upturn in economic activity and agreed on the importance of improved conditions in Pakistan to foster economic stability, inclusive growth and prosperity. Both sides agreed to work to improve Pakistan’s trade competitiveness, particularly in reducing trade barriers between Pakistan and its neighbours. They also agreed to exchange expertise and business dialogue on energy.