ISLAMABAD: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hailed the "old friendship" shared between Britain and Pakistan, during his first official visit to the Asian country. "Britain and Pakistan share an old friendship and profound ties of history. No fewer than 1.2 million Britons, around 2 per cent of the entire UK population, are of Pakistani heritage. It was clear from my visit that our countries can work even closer together to help Pakistan unleash its full potential," Johnson said.
During his two-day trip, he visited Islamabad and Lahore, and held talks with Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz, Chief Minister of the Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, opposition leaders, including Imran Khan, business CEOs and senior clerics. "I held very productive talks with senior Government figures and opposition leaders about our support for Pakistan's democratic reforms, working together to defeat extremism and creating new trade opportunities."
However, one of his most highlighted statements came in light of the ever-controversial Kashmir issue that has both India and Pakistan in strong defiance with each other for years. Calling for an end to violence in the Valley, Johnson said the tensions between both the countries is holding the region back from becoming an "incredible boomzone". He warned that Britain could not act as a mediator in the nearly 70-year old dispute over the Himalayan region, saying it must be up to India and Pakistan to find a "lasting solution" that allows for Kashmiri self-determination. "We call for an end to the violence and for both sides to exercise restraint," he said. "Look at the incredible human potential of Pakistan and its neighbours... and then imagine what the future could be like if this was sorted out. What an incredible boomzone it could be."
He warned that the "mutual sequestration" of the Indian and Pakistani economies was holding the region back from fulfilling this potential. He spoke merely a day after at least nine people were killed after Indian troops resorted to indiscriminate firing hitting a civilian bus along the LoC.
Britain has been looking forward to strengthen global trade ties following its June referendum vote to leave the EU. Johnson said the government was seeking to broaden relations with fast-growing economies outside Europe, adding that talks were progressing on plans to increase annual trade beyond 2.5 billion 3.11 billion per year.
