The United Kingdom has announced an additional 10 million pounds in relief assistance for Pakistan, bringing the total quantum of UK flood-related assistance to 26.5 million pounds.
The announcement was made by British Minister of State for South Asia and Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmad, who called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday.
Lord Ahmad expressed condolences on behalf of His Majesty’s Government on the loss of human lives due to the recent floods in Pakistan. He informed the Prime Minister that British public and Pakistani diaspora were greatly engaged in the relief and rehabilitation efforts for the flood affected people of Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif thanked the United Kingdom for its support toward flood relief efforts in Pakistan. He highlighted that Pakistan, despite contributing less than one percent of global carbon emissions, remains one of the most affected countries from climate change.
Stressing the historic nature of Pakistan-UK relationship, the Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to further deepen cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, investment, security, defence, culture and people-to-people linkages.
Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction on the positive trajectory of trade and investment cooperation between Pakistan and the UK, noting that bilateral trade had reached 3.1 billion pounds.
The Prime Minister made special reference to the positive role played by the 1.6 Million Pakistani diaspora in forging closer bonds between the peoples of both countries.
He also highlighted the continuing Indian human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He stressed that a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and UN Security Council resolutions, is critical to achieving long-term peace and stability in South Asia.
The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s principled support for the universal and consistent application of UN Charter principles – including non-use or threat of use of force, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, pacific settlement of disputes, and equal security for all states.
He also called for immediate cessation of hostilities and stressed the need for diplomacy and dialogue for an early, negotiated end to the Ukraine conflict.
The Prime Minister also hosted a luncheon for the British Minister of State and accompanying delegation.
