PR No. 79
HIGH COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE OF PAKISTAN TO SRI LANKA CALLS ON PRESIDENT DR. ARIF ALVI
Islamabad: December 11, 2019


People of Pakistan stand by their oppressed Kashmiri brethren and condemn the fascist Indian Government for its inhuman treatment of its minorities, as manifested in the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 passed by Indian Lok Sabha yesterday, said President Dr. Arif Alvi, while talking to High Commissioner-designate of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Major General (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak, who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad today. He underscored that all High Commissioners/Ambassadors must highlight the true perspective on Kashmir issue and Indian oppression there. The President said that Pakistan attached great importance to its fraternal relations with Sri Lanka, based on trust and mutual understanding. He added that the warmth of bilateral relationship was reflected in the exchanges at the leadership level. However, the current volume of bilateral trade between the two countries was not commensurate to the true potential, he added. There was a need to re-invigorate our efforts to realize the goal of enhancing bilateral trade, he said. The President highlighted the successful visit of Sri Lankan Cricket team to Pakistan and said that first international test series in Pakistan since 2009 would also revive international cricket in Pakistan. Moreover, he said that we took pride in providing scholarships to Sri Lankan students. He also highlighted that Pakistan was home to rich Buddhist civilization and heritage. Pakistan held Vesak Festival every year, which was participated in by monks and academicians from Sri Lankan, he added. He also directed the High Commissioner-designate to work for promotion of tourism. He appreciated Sri Lankan Airline for operating on Karachi-Colombo and Lahore-Colombo sectors. This connectivity would contribute towards promotion of trade, travel tourism and people-to-people contacts between the two countries. He wished High commissioner-designate a successful stay in Sri Lanka and hoped that his tenure will bring more vigour and energy to the bilateral relations between the two countries.
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