PM asks Boris Johnson to lift travel ban on Pakistan
Aftab Ahmed
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to lift the travel ban on Pakistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had impressed upon the British premier that the UK should revisit the decision to place Pakistan on the Red List of travel ban countries.
In April this year, UK had imposed a travel ban on some countries, including the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, and Bangladesh.
The UK had added Pakistan’s “red list” following concerns about the spread of new Covid-19 variants.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with UK premier Boris Johnson on Monday and called to review the decision to add Pakistan to the red list.
They also discussed the current trajectory of bilateral relations and other issues like the Afghan peace process, the Covid-19 Pandemic, and climate change.
Imran Khan extended thanks to UK premier Boris Johnson for his thoughtful video message for the World Environment Day that Pakistan held in Islamabad on 5 June 2021.
Premier Imran Khan also hoped Pakistan and the UK would forge an even stronger partnership in the future, particularly in trade and investments. They also agreed on the importance of high-level exchanges between the two countries.
The Prime Minister lauded the efforts Prime Minister Boris Johnson had made in effectively countering the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
He also briefed his British counterpart on Pakistan’s measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic to save lives and secure livelihoods, stimulating the economy.
In Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated extending Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed his longstanding stance, saying there was no military solution to the address conflict in Afghanistan. He added a negotiated political solution was the only way forward.
He underscored the importance of a responsible withdrawal and apprised his British counterpart of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to support the Afghan peace process as part of shared responsibility.
Imran Khan apprised Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Pakistan’s progress to strengthen its AML/CFT framework. He urged the members of the FATF to acknowledge Pakistan’s achievements in complying with FATF benchmarks.
The two sides also pledged to continue working together to boost relations further and advance the common objective of regional and global peace and stability.
