Pakistan values its ties with EU: Nawaz EU delegation, UK minister meet PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with the European Union.
He said that Pakistan is deeply interested in its engagement with the European Parliament and emphasised that a mechanism for regular consultations between the two parliaments needs to be devised.
A delegation of European Parliament comprising Lars Gunbar Wigemark, Jean Lambort, Richard Howitt, Michael Galhar and Sajjad Karim called on prime minister at the PM House.The prime minister noted with satisfaction that GSP Plus Scheme has benefited Pakistan as our exports to EU have increased to around $1 billion.
To a question, he said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved in the light of UN resolutions. “We are committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism from our soil”, he added.The delegation members informed the prime minister that this was their first formal visit to Pakistan during present government’s tenure. They extended condolences over the tragic Peshawar incident.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and foreign secretary were also present during the meeting.British Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General Francis Maude also called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at the PM House.
Welcoming him the prime minister said that bilateral relations between Pakistan and UK are based on sound footing and rooted in shared history and strong Diaspora linkages.He expressed satisfaction on the overall upward trajectory of Pakistan-UK bilateral cooperation and said that frequent high-level exchanges and regular consultations between the two countries are a hallmark of this relationship. Talking about Pakistan’s civil service structure, norms and practices, he said that they are largely a continuation of those that the British introduced in the Sub-continent, but there is an urgent need to make the civil service more attuned and responsive to the present challenges and realities.
The prime minister said that a reform process has been initiated and he is personally supervising the deliberations being done on civil service reforms.
Francis Maude said that people’s expectations and demands from public service delivery are growing and with the help of modern technology lots of services can be put online due to which the size of civil service can be reduced. “The UK has reduced its civil service size by 21% during last five years,” he added.
Prime Minister Nawaz said that Pakistan has formulated the National Action Plan to effectively deal with the scourge of terrorism. Maude also conveyed best wishes of Prime Minister David Cameron.Ambassador of the UK to Pakistan Philip Barton was also present during the meeting.