Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : British High Commissioner to Pakistan, H.E. Jane Marriot OBE, held a meeting with Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Leader of the House at Parliament House today. The meeting addressed a range of topics of mutual interest, highlighting the strong and enduring relationship between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
During the meeting, Senator Dar apprised the High Commissioner of the economic performance of Pakistan during 2013-17 when Pakistan became 24th global economy and 18 hours daily average load shedding was eliminated together with enhanced investment in public sector development works which resulted in Pakistan’s GDP growth to rise above 6% with 40 years low inflation of around 4%. He added that Pakistan Muslim League (N) stands for free and fair elections, together with level playing field for all the political parties.
In discussion about the business environment in Pakistan, Senator Dar expressed the hopes that post general elections in 2024; the winning political party will accelerate the privatization of loss making state-owned enterprises. He also stressed the need to enhance the trade ties as well as the volumes of business between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. Senator Dar also mentioned the importance of agricultural development to ensure food security for Pakistan’s population and flagged the mining industry’s potential for future economic development of the nation.
High Commissioner Marriott expressed hope that the future incoming government would be able to attract foreign investment in the areas highlighted by Senator Dar. She affirmed that the United Kingdom stands ready to provide technical support and assistance to further strengthen bilateral relations and partnership.
Senator Dar explained the issue of smuggling and its negative impact on the Pakistani economy. He also mentioned Pakistan’s efforts to improve the border management to curb the illegal movement of goods across the borders.