ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom have agreed to continue working towards further deepening and broadening their partnership in all areas of mutual interest.

According to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the understanding was reached during a meeting of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar with Minister of State of the UK (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth) Lord Tariq Ahmad in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday.

The meeting was held at the sidelines of the high-level conference on “Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza,” in Jordan and Dar is leading Pakistan’s delegation to the moot.

Baloch said that Ishaq Dar and Lord Tariq Ahmad expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the UK. They also agreed to continue working towards further deepening and broadening this partnership in all areas of mutual interest, she added.

She further stated that the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister highlighted the rising trend of Islamophobia worldwide and underscored the importance of promoting inter-faith dialogue and combating defamation of religions.

Baloch said that Dar also emphasised the formalisation, expansion and up-gradation of the bilateral relationship in the form of an Enhanced Strategic Partnership (ESP).

“Both sides agreed to move forward on the migration track under the UK-Pakistan Returns and Readmissions Agreement,” she said, adding that regional developments of mutual interest including stability in Afghanistan, South Asia and the Middle East were also discussed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024