Pakistan attaches significance to fraternal ties with Muslim world: PM

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday underscored the significance attached by Pakistan to fraternal ties with the Muslim world, particularly with the countries of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

He said the ties were anchored in mutual trust, common understanding and close cooperation on bilateral as well as regional matters of common interest.

The prime minister met the resident ambassadors of Muslim countries from the MENA region over lunch earlier in the day. The meeting was attended by the ambassadors of Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The caretaker foreign minister, secretary to the PM and foreign secretary were also present, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The caretaker prime minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on a number of issues, particularly the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Other challenges confronting the Muslim world such as Islamophobia were also discussed.

Prime Minister Kakar emphasized the need for the Muslim Ummah to continue to work closely and collectively, especially through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to deal with the complex issues. He also praised the ambassadors for their efforts to forge stronger ties between Islamabad and their respective capitals.

The ambassadors thanked the prime minister and reiterated their support for advancing bilateral relations with Pakistan, which played a key role in the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday said the government was taking steps to boost foreign investment in the Information Technology (IT) sector. “In this regard, positive progress has already been made,” the prime minister said while chairing the 5th meeting of Board of Governors of Special Technology Zones Authority.

In a bid to promote and develop the IT sector in the country, he directed the authorities concerned to chalk out necessary policies to attract international IT experts in Pakistan.

PM Kakar highlighted that the IT sector could play a vital role in strengthening the country’s economy as Pakistan had huge potential in this sector.

During the meeting, various matters linked to the Special Technology Zones Authority, came under discussion. The meeting endorsed the decisions, concluded during the 4th meeting of the Board of Governors of Special Technology Authority. It approved the re-structuring of the finance, audit and technical committees of the Board of Governors of the Authority. Furthermore, the meeting also approved the presentation of drafts of the Authority’s licensing framework, procedures and regulations before the technical committee. Federal secretaries of Cabinet, Finance, Information Technology, Science and Technology, chief secretaries of all the provinces and other Board members, attended the meeting. Meanwhile, Haya Fatima Sehgal, the author of the book titled “Resilient Pakistan”, Wednesday called on Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. Her book is a compilation of her articles and features with a dedicated section on people who devoted their lives for the service to the country. The book covers topics such as cultural issues, fighting extremism and climate change.