ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Feb.12-13, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Tuesday, during which he will co-chair the session of a high-level strategic cooperation council focusing on bilateral trade, investment and other priority sectors between the two countries, and oversee the signing of several agreements.
The Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council (HLSCC) was established in 2009 as a framework for consultations at the highest political level between the two sides. Several joint standing committees under the HLSCC cover vital sectors such as trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defense, agriculture and others.
Six sessions of the HLSCC have been conducted since it was founded, with the last one held in Islamabad from Feb. 13-14, 2020.
Erdogan’s high-level delegation will comprise ministers, senior officials and corporate leaders, the foreign office said.
“During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Erdogan will co-chair the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC),” the foreign office said. “At the conclusion of the Session, a Joint Declaration and a number of important agreements/MoUs are expected to be signed. The two leaders will also address a joint press stakeout.”
Erdogan will hold bilateral meetings with Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, the foreign office said, adding that the Turkish president will address the Pakistan-Turkiye Business and Investment Forum with Sharif. The forum will bring together leading investors, companies and businesspersons from both sides, the statement said.
“The visit of Turkish President and the holding of the 7th Session of the HLSCC would serve to further deepen the brotherly relations and enhance multifaceted cooperation between the two countries,” the foreign office said.
Turkiye and Pakistan enjoy cordial relations with one another that has expanded to cooperation in several sectors between the two nations. Both agreed to enhance the bilateral trade volume to $5 billion last year in May when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Pakistan’s capital on a two-day visit.
Pakistan has been eagerly reaching out to international partners and close allies since last year in its quest to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis by strengthening cooperation in business, investment and other sectors.
Pakistan’s economic crisis has drained its financial resources, weakened its national currency and triggered inflation in the country. The South Asian country has repeatedly stated its desire to achieve sustainable economic growth through foreign trade and investment, long-term reforms and by promoting exports.
Erdogan to visit Pakistan from Feb. 12-13 to strengthen cooperation in bilateral trade and investment
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Erdogan to visit Pakistan from Feb. 12-13 to strengthen cooperation in bilateral trade and investment
- Turkish president to co-chair Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council session with PM Shehbaz Sharif, says FO
- HLSCC focuses on trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defense, agriculture and other sectors
Sindh vows stern action as builders complain of rising extortion in Pakistan’s commercial hub
- Association of Builders and Developers warned this week of receiving extortion calls from numbers based abroad
- Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says will work with federal government to trace extortionists based in foreign countries
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Sindh on Thursday warned his government would take stern action against land grabbing and extortion a day after a prominent builders association warned the illegal practices were on the rise in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub.
The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), a representative organization of private builders and developers in Pakistan, held a press conference in Karachi on Wednesday to warn that extortion and land grabbing activities were on the rise in the city.
ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi said at least 10 members of the association had received extortion calls over the past five months which demanded a total of Rs50 million [$178,000]. He said extortion calls were being made to builders from numbers based in Dubai and Iran.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and a high-level delegation, including the provincial home minister, Karachi mayor, Karachi commissioner and chief secretary of the province, met an ABAD delegation led by Bakhshi.
“I have given clear instructions to the police to take immediate action on ABAD’s complaints,” Shah was quoted as saying by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The statement said Shah listened to ABAD’s press conference on Wednesday and felt the matter should have been brought directly to him, instead of being raised in the media.
“Under no circumstances can encroachment on land be permitted,” Shah said. “Clear instructions have already been issued to divisional and district administrations that I will not tolerate illegal occupation of land in any form.”
ABAD expressed its desire to work with the government in eliminating encroachments on lands owned by its members. During the meeting, the builders’ delegation handed over copies of extortion slips that they had received, along with the telephone numbers of those allegedly sending them from abroad.
ABAD’s leadership informed the meeting that about 10 cases of extortion had surfaced over the past year. Karachi police briefed the delegation on the progress made in those cases so far.
“Police launched an extensive operation and arrested 50 extortionists and sent them to jail,” Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar said, adding that six criminals had been killed in police encounters.
Shah, meanwhile, vowed that Sindh would take action with the help of the federal government against those orchestrating such extortion calls from abroad
“We have decided, with the support of the federal government, to proceed against those who sit abroad and make extortion calls,” he said. “We had earlier eliminated extortionists from this city, and we will once again bring them to justice.”
Karachi has had a history of political violence, where traders and members have frequently complained in the past of being extorted.
The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) issued an urgent security advisory to its members in October citing a sharp uptick in extortion threats. It warned traders to install CCTV systems as cases of intimidation and violence rise across the city.
