ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will undertake an official visit to the United Kingdom from August 24 to 28, during which he is scheduled to hold talks with senior British officials, meet members of the Pakistani diaspora and raise the issue of Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates.
According to the Foreign Office, Dar will meet UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, FCDO Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty and other senior British government representatives during his five-day visit.
A key focus of the trip will be the plight of Pakistani crew members aboard the MT Honour 25, an oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates near Puntland on April 21.
The deputy prime minister will meet the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation to discuss efforts concerning the release of Pakistani nationals held captive. The vessel had 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis, when it was seized.
Families of the hostages have expressed increasing concern over their relatives’ safety, saying conditions aboard the hijacked vessel have deteriorated during the prolonged captivity. The Foreign Office has reiterated the Pakistani government’s commitment to securing the release of its citizens.
During the visit, Dar is also expected to meet Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, besides engaging with British parliamentarians and prominent members of the British-Pakistani community.
The trip follows recent efforts by Pakistan and the United Kingdom to expand cooperation against organised crime and illegal migration.
In June, the UK announced an additional £8 million in funding to support joint initiatives with Pakistan aimed at tackling crime, people smuggling and illegal migration. The assistance is intended to strengthen border and visa systems, improve law enforcement capabilities, support the return of people without the legal right to remain in Britain and fund community-based programmes in areas vulnerable to irregular migration.
