British High Commissioner-designate Jane Marriott ‘delighted’ upon arrival in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner-designate to Pakistan, Jane Marriott CMG OBE, has arrived in Islamabad to take up her new posting at British High Commission Islamabad.

Jane arrives at an important time for UK-Pakistan relations, with a significant uplift in UK aid spend in Pakistan focussed on strengthening climate resilience and reducing humanitarian risks. Last month the UK also launched the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which will help Pakistan to boost exports by reducing tariffs and simplifying trade terms.

Arriving in Islamabad, Jane said: “I am delighted to be here in Pakistan, a country that deeply matters to, and has a long-standing relationship with, the UK. With over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage in the UK making up every part of British society, we have a special and ever-growing special bond”.

“Our friendship stems from our shared history and values, deep people-to-people ties, growing trade links and a renewed development partnership. I will be working hard to continue to expand these”.

“With the climate emergency a growing threat to health and livelihoods across the world, I have a particular interest in ensuring the bilateral relationship between our countries is a green, sustainable one.”

Jane joined the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 2001. She was previously posted as British High Commissioner to Kenya from September 2019 to June 2023, and has served as British Ambassador to Yemen. She has also been posted to the USA, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan as well as heading the UK’s Joint International Counter Terrorism Unit.

She travelled from London Heathrow using British Airways, the only airline to offer direct UK flights between the UK and Pakistan.

Jane tweets at @JaneMarriottUK. Jane Marriott was appointed OBE in 2004 for services in Al Amara, Iraq and Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to British foreign policy.

The Country Development Partnership Summary (CDPS) can be found online. The FCDO Annual Report and Accounts were published on 17 July 2023. Details of UK development programmes in Pakistan can be accessed at DevTracker. The Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) replaced the current Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) on 19 June 2023

Mian Abrar
Mian Abrar
The writer heads Pakistan Today's Islamabad Bureau. He has a special focus on counter-terrorism and inter-state relations in Asia, Asia Pacific and South East Asia regions. He tweets as @mian_abrar and also can be reached at [email protected]

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