British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived in Pakistan on Monday for a three-day visit, according to the daily Pakistan Dawn.
Straw is due to meet the country’s leadership, including President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat ‘Aziz, and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Kasuri.
Straw will discuss a series of local and international issues. Among the issues to be discussed are: “Resumption of the Pakistan-India dialogue, reconstruction of Afghanistan, counter-terrorism steps and non-proliferation,” according to a foreign ministry statement issued on Sunday.
Other matters Straw is expected to raise in his meetings are the Washington-Tehran standoff over Iran’s nuclear program; the strengthening of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); the situation in the Middle East; the acquisition of advanced weapons systems by India; and the proposed Readmission Treaty between the European Union and Pakistan for handling the issue of illegal immigrants.
“Pakistan enjoys friendly relations with Britain, which are rooted in a long historical association,” said the foreign office spokesman on Sunday. According to Pakistan Dawn, the spokesman added that the UK is home to an almost one-million-strong community of Pakistani origin.