FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to begin a five-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on August 24, where he will hold meetings with British officials and other senior UK government officials.

According to a post by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Dar will meet UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty, and other senior UK government officials. Dar will also meet the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to discuss the issue of Pakistani crew members held by Somali pirates aboard the MT Honour 25 oil tanker. He will also meet Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.

It is pertinent to mention here that the honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 17 to 19 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis, was hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, on April 21. Families of the Pakistani hostages have reportedly urged the government to intensify efforts to ensure the safe return of the sailors.

Earlier this month, Dar urged Pakistani authorities to intensify diplomatic engagement with international partners, including Somali authorities, to secure the safe return of the Pakistani hostages.

The deputy prime minister will also engage with British parliamentarians and representatives of the British-Pakistani community.

The visit comes after the two countries agreed to intensify bilateral trade engagement and strengthen business-to-business cooperation in July. The two sides had explored upgrading an existing Trade Dialogue into a more structured economic and trade framework.

Pakistan and the UK had agreed in June to increase cooperation in counterterrorism, combating illegal migration and human smuggling, institutional collaboration and police training.