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PM to go ahead with UK visit despite furore

By Khawar Ghumman 2012-05-05
ISLAMABAD, May 4: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is going ahead with his trip to the UK, dispelling the impression he might opt out of the visit after his conviction that led to an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between the ruling PPP and the opposition PML-N.

On Friday, the media wing of the Prime Minister`s Secretariat issued programme for his visit to the UK.

The PML-N has declared Mr Gilani as an illegal chief executive of the country.

According to the press statement, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mr Gilani about his forthcoming visit to the United Kingdom from May 8 to 13.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Prime Minister`s Special Assistant Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, BOI chairman Saleem H. Mandviwala and secretaries of the ministries concerned attended the meeting.

The prime minister will attend the state opening of parliament by Queen Elizabeth on May 9. He will participate in the reception in the honour of parliamentarians at the House of Commons.

The prime minister will participate in the first round of annual review of Pakistan-UK Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD) which encompasses five areas of trade and business relations; financial and development cooper-ation; education and health; defence, security and cultural cooperation.

Mr Gilani and British Prime Minister David Cameron will review the progress being made in the above areas as a follow-up of their commitment made in April last year to enter into a deeper and broader dialogue between the two countries aimed at strengthening friendship and promoting mutual prosperity and security.

Foreign Minister Khar apprised the prime minister about the progress made in the five priority areas under the ESD and outlined proposals to provide momentum to enhanced cooperation between Pakistan and the UK.

The prime minister said that Pakistan and the UK enjoyed excellent relations and his visit would boost cooperation between the two countries. He said Pakistan offered tremendous trade and investment opportunities and hoped that the British companies would take advantage of these opportunities.

Mr Gilani expressed satisfaction over the work being undertaken by the two countries on shared national security challenges, including the area of counter-terrorism.

He said the ESD would intensify cooperation in sectors of trade, economic growth and development, cultural cooperation, security and education.