Ishaq Dar Begins Five-Day UK Visit as Pakistan Pushes Key Talks
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to begin a five-day official visit to the United Kingdom on Monday, with Islamabad seeking to advance bilateral ties and address a series of diplomatic, security and consular priorities. The Foreign Office said the visit will run from August 24 to 28 and will include meetings with senior British officials, parliamentarians and representatives of the Pakistani community.
Dar is scheduled to hold talks with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Stephen Doughty, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister of state responsible for Pakistan. The discussions are expected to focus on the broader Pakistan-UK relationship and areas where the two governments have ongoing cooperation, including security, law enforcement and migration-related issues.
A major issue on the foreign minister's agenda will be the fate of Pakistani crew members aboard the oil tanker MT Honour 25. The vessel was seized by pirates off Somalia's Puntland region on April 21 and carries 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistani nationals. Their continued detention has caused concern among their families, who have sought progress toward their safe release.
The Foreign Office said Dar will meet International Maritime Organisation Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez during the visit, providing Islamabad with an opportunity to raise the detained crew members' case at a senior international maritime forum. Pakistani authorities have reiterated that efforts are continuing to secure the nationals' release and address the conditions faced by those on board the vessel.
Dar will also meet Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and is expected to engage with British lawmakers. These meetings will give Pakistan an additional platform to discuss diplomatic cooperation and matters affecting the large Pakistani-origin community in the United Kingdom, which remains an important link between the two countries.
The visit comes as Pakistan and Britain continue working together on crime prevention, migration management and law-enforcement capacity. In June, the British High Commission announced an additional £8 million for joint initiatives with Pakistan aimed at strengthening border and visa systems, combating human smuggling and trafficking, facilitating the return of people without the right to remain in Britain and supporting communities considered vulnerable to irregular migration networks.
For Pakistan, the UK relationship carries significance beyond formal diplomacy because of longstanding economic, security and people-to-people connections. Engagement with British officials during the visit is expected to provide an opportunity to review existing cooperation while identifying areas where coordination can be expanded, particularly on transnational crime and issues involving Pakistani citizens abroad.
Attention will now turn to the outcomes of Dar's meetings in London and whether the visit produces progress on the detained Pakistani seafarers as well as broader bilateral cooperation. Further details are expected from the Foreign Office as individual engagements take place during the five-day trip.