ISLAMABAD – British High Commissioner Thomas Drew said over a question onany plan of the UK for repatriation of the accused Pakistanis in moneylaundering including former finance minister Ishaq Dar and sons of formerpremier Nawaz Sharif, “we will consider any request by the Pakistangovernment on merit”.
High Commissioner Thomas Drew said in the post Brexit world, the UnitedKingdom would continue to strengthen its vision of a peaceful andprosperous Pakistan with major focus on collaboration in economy andeducation.
“The UK has a very direct and unique stake in Pakistan’s future stability,security and prosperity. Together, we face some shared challenges andopportunities,” he said.
“The UK will remain tied-up with its policies regarding Pakistan’slong-term stability and security even after its withdrawal from the club ofEuropean Union,” he added.
The British high commissioner said the UK’s commitment to world securitywould not change following the Brexit and NATO would remain the cornerstoneof its foreign policy.
He termed Britain’s relationship with Pakistan as “non-discretionary”which, he said, focused on helping the country unleash its potential indiverse areas including economic growth, education and water preservation.
The high commissioner said it was in the interest of Pakistan, India andthe world to resolve all its outstanding issues including the Jammu andKashmir.
He said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had an immense economicpotential, not only for Pakistan but for the region.
He mentioned that the UK’s diplomatic mission in Pakistan was the secondlargest in the world and also the DFID’s (Department for InternationalDevelopment) was largest bilateral programme in the world with almost halfa billion dollars.
Drew said more than two percent population of UK related to Pakistan interms of origin and was significantly contributing to social and economicfabric of UK.
He said the energy, resilience and motivation of Pakistani people wasencouraging and remarkable. He also pointed that international media’scoverage about Pakistan’s was not always fair. – APP