ISLAMABAD: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly phoned Pakistan’s acting Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Friday to commend Islamabad’s efforts in aiding the UK-sponsored relocation of Afghan nationals by agreeing to launch a dedicated flight operation.
The decision to make special transportation arrangements was taken after representatives of the British High Commission held a meeting with Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority officials earlier this week to facilitate the resettlement of Afghan immigrants in the UK.
A large number of Afghans, who collaborated with the British forces during the occupation of their country, fled to neighboring states for international refuge after the Taliban swept back to power two years ago.
The UK authorities became active to relocate these stranded Afghan nationals in Pakistan after the government warned all “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghan nationals, to voluntarily return to their countries by November1.
“Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani received a telephone call from the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly today,” said the foreign office in an official statement. “They discussed bilateral cooperation and stressed the importance of high-level engagement and dialogue to further strengthen Pakistan-UK relations.”
“Foreign Secretary Cleverly appreciated Pakistan for its support and cooperation in facilitating relocation of Afghans sponsored by the UK government,” the statement added. “Foreign Minister Jilani reiterated Pakistan’s continued commitment to facilitate relocation of Afghans destined for the UK.”
Jilani also underlined the strong legacy of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and expressed his desire to jointly craft a more robust and long-term vision for this important bilateral relationship.
Both officials discussed the situation in Gaza, its impact on regional security that could lead to greater humanitarian crises.
