Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has arrived in the United Kingdom for a three-day official visit from August 17 to 19, where he will meet Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pakistan Hamish Falconer, Lord Wajid Khan, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the visit will focus on “strengthening Pakistan-UK ties, boosting cooperation in digital technology, artificial intelligence & entrepreneurship, and enhanced cooperation with the Commonwealth.” During the trip, British MPs, Kashmiri leaders, and representatives of the Pakistani diaspora are also expected to meet him.
At the Pakistan High Commission in London, Dar will inaugurate two key initiatives: a pilot project by the Punjab Land Record Authority and a One Window Operation by IMPASS. He is also expected to highlight Pakistan’s potential in fintech and digital banking.
However, Dar announced that he would not be holding the planned community interaction with the British Pakistani diaspora.
“Barring my long pre-scheduled official engagements with the Deputy Prime Minister of UK, Rt Hon Angela Rayner; Secretary General Commonwealth, Rt Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; Hamish Faulkner, Minister of State, UK Foreign Office; and members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords during my two-days visit to the UK, I will not be holding the planned community interaction with the British Pakistani diaspora,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that this decision was made “in solidarity and respect for those who are grieving, and to ensure that our full attention remains on the national relief and recovery efforts.” He extended “sincere regrets to all the organisers of the community event” and said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent cloudbursts and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of Pakistan.”
“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” Dar said.
He added that the government of Pakistan is mobilising all available resources for relief and rescue operations, with federal and provincial agencies, the armed forces, and local administrations “working tirelessly to reach affected communities and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Dar noted that the Prime Minister has already chaired an emergency meeting, with the government closely coordinating immediate relief measures and long-term recovery plans.
He urged Pakistanis at home and abroad “to keep the affected families in their prayers and to contribute in whatever way they can to the ongoing relief work. InshaAllah, together, we will overcome this difficult hour.”
