PM to meet PM Shehbaz, discuss ‘overall bilateral relations’, with focus on minerals
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on June 12. Photo: APP/File
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan landed in Islamabad on Friday for his first official visit to Pakistan since assuming office.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir received the Emirati leader at Nur Khan Air Base, where Pakistani military aircraft escorted his plane as it entered the country’s airspace and performed an aerial salute, according to the official UAE news agency WAM.
A formal welcoming ceremony was held at the airbase, featuring the playing of the two national anthems, a 21-gun salute and a guard of honor for the visiting dignitary.
Federal ministers including Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and Attaullah Tarar were also present at the function. Shehbaz introduced the cabinet members to the UAE President during the ceremony.
This is President Nahyan’s second trip to Pakistan this year, following a previous meeting with Shehbaz at Rahim Yar Khan in January. The President is traveling with a high-level delegation that includes Presidential Advisors Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi, as well as several ministers and senior government officials.
During the visit, President Nahyan is expected to meet Shehbaz and discuss “the full spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest”, according to the Foreign Ministry. The leaders will notably discuss cooperation in the mining sector.
FO said this visit provides an important opportunity to further deepen the long-standing fraternal relations between the two nations.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz welcomed the UAE President’s visit, saying Pakistan-UAE relations are “timeless and exemplary”. She said she was proud that the UAE President had chosen Pakistan for his first official visit.
Pakistan and the UAE enjoy diplomatic, economic and cultural ties, strengthened by historical ties and a significant Pakistani diaspora in the Emirates. The UAE is among Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a vital source of remittances, with a large Pakistani workforce employed in various sectors in the Gulf state.
Read: Shehbaz urges UAE to invest in key sectors
Earlier this week, Shehbaz expressed Pakistan’s interest in attracting more investment from the UAE in sectors such as energy, minerals, information technology, railways and aviation during discussions with UAE Ambassador Zaabi.
President Nahyan would hunt in Rahim Yar Khan. This is a common practice among Middle Eastern royal families, who travel to Pakistan in winter to hunt animals, especially houbara bustards. Notably, hunting of this bird is illegal.
The Islamabad district administration on Friday declared a public holiday in the capital to accommodate the visit, even as essential services, including hospitals, law enforcement, municipal operations and utilities, are expected to continue normal operations.
Islamabad Police announced traffic diversions on the highway and Murree Road/Club Road from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. due to the visit. Commuters traveling on the highway from Rawat have been advised to use the Rawalpindi-Peshawar route instead, while those on the IJP route and the Srinagar highway have been advised to use the city center service roads.
Learn more: Pakistan, UAE sign several agreements to strengthen bilateral ties
Police also recommended allowing an extra 20 to 25 minutes to travel and deployed traffic officers across the city to assist citizens.
In April, the two countries signed several memorandums of understanding covering cultural cooperation, coordination of consular affairs and the establishment of a joint UAE-Pakistan trade council linking their respective chambers of commerce.
