DOHA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan and Qatar have a clear vision of the future with new opportunities and greater awareness to upgrade bilateral relations, particularly economic cooperation.
As the prime minister headed back to Islamabad after his maiden state visit to Qatar, he announced the conclusion of his “important” trip he made at the invitation of the leader of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“Heading back to Pakistan today after the conclusion of my important trip to Qatar. Thank you to the government and people of Qatar, especially my brother […] Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the warm welcome and excellent hospitality,” the prime minister tweeted Thursday.
Heading back to Pakistan today after the conclusion of my important trip to Qatar. Thank you to the government & people of Qatar, especially my brother HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad for the warm welcome & excellent hospitality. Two aspects of the visit are noteworthy:
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 25, 2022
Explaining the two “noteworthy” aspects of his visit, Sharif said firstly Islamabad and Doha had a clear vision of the future which offered new opportunities and avenues in a swiftly changing world.
Secondly, he said there was a greater awareness between the two countries of the need for upgrading the bilateral relations by making economic cooperation the pivot of ties.
Sharif travelled to Qatar earlier on Tuesday in hopes of attracting trade and investment for his country, his office said.
During his visit, he invited Qatar to invest in Pakistan’s energy and aviation sectors during a meeting with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in Doha on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office.
He said he planned to highlight sectors including renewable energy, food security, industrial and infrastructure development, tourism and hospitality.
Pakistan is in economic turmoil with a balance of payment crisis as its foreign reserves have fallen as low as $7.8 billion, hardly enough for more than a month of imports. It also faces a widening current account deficit and a historic depreciation of the rupee against the dollar.
In July it posted inflation of 24.9 percent.
— With Reuters
