Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has arrived in London for an official visit running from August 24 to 28, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
Dar is scheduled to meet UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty and other senior British officials. Meetings with British parliamentarians and representatives of the Pakistani diaspora are also included in the program.
Detained Pakistani sailors on the agenda
Dar is expected to meet International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez to discuss Pakistani crew members held aboard the MT Honour 25 oil tanker after it was seized by pirates near Somalia’s Puntland region in April.
The visit also includes a meeting with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. These engagements give the trip a broader agenda spanning bilateral relations, maritime security, consular concerns and Commonwealth diplomacy.
Pakistan and the United Kingdom have recently discussed deeper trade engagement, business cooperation, counterterrorism, illegal migration and law-enforcement collaboration. The London meetings will provide an opportunity to move those discussions forward while raising concerns affecting Pakistanis in the UK and at sea.
Any measurable outcome will depend on the official statements, agreements and follow-up actions announced during and after the visit.