ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the award of Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) upon General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Commander of Turkish Land Forces, during a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.
He conferred the award in recognition of his services in promoting and strengthening defence relations between Pakistan and Turkiye. Later, the visiting Commander of Turkish also called on President Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday. The meeting was also attended by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir.
The meeting discussed matters pertaining to defence cooperation between the two brotherly countries. Both sides emphasized the need for further expanding bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of Pakistan and Turkiye.
Talking to the Commander of Turkish Land Forces, President Zardari said that Pakistan was proud of its relations with Turkiye, which had always supported Pakistan on core issues. He expressed satisfaction over the collaboration between Pakistan and Turkiye on a number of projects that would further strengthen bilateral ties.
President Zardari highlighted the need for increasing people-to-people contacts, as well as promoting cooperation in the areas of agriculture, education, art and culture to bring the people of Pakistan and Turkiye further closer.
He said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was a true and sincere friend of Pakistan who had made telephonic calls to him on his election as well as at the beginning of Ramzan-ul-Mubarak. “This showed his commitment to broadening Pak-Turkiye ties,” he said.
Commander of Turkish Land Forces General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu reiterated the desire to further improve defence cooperation with Pakistan. He said that both countries could significantly contribute to the promotion of regional peace and stability.
The president congratulated the Commander of Turkish Land Forces on receiving the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) and hoped that he would continue to play his role to further strengthen defence cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
Meanwhile, President Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continue to extend its moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) till the attainment of their right to self-determination.
While condemning the human rights violations and the atrocities being committed by the Indian occupation forces in IIOJK, President Zardari called upon the international community to put pressure on India to end human rights violations being committed by its security forces and implement the UN Security Council resolutions.
President Zardari made these remarks in a meeting with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.
AJK PM requested the President Zardari to visit AJK and address the AJK Legislative Assembly. The two discussed the overall situation of AJK, besides talking about issues related to the development of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking to AJK PM, President Zardari said that AJK was blessed with immense potential for tourism and a beautiful landscape, which needed to be fully developed to attract tourists. He added that strengthening AJK’s tourism sector would help in its socio-economic uplift as well as generate economic activities in the area. He said that Pakistan would provide all possible support and assistance to facilitate investment in the diverse areas of AJK’s economy, especially the tourism sector.
President Zardari remarked that the youth of AJK needed to be equipped with the latest skills and education to enable them to find gainful employment, besides contributing to AJK’s development.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief over the loss of precious human lives during the recent rain-related incidents in different parts of AJK and hoped that the AJK government would help the affected families.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari called for accelerating infrastructure development in Gilgit-Baltistan as well as focusing on strengthening the education and health sectors to bring it at par with other developed areas of the country. The Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah and the Chief Minister of GB Gul Bar Khan called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.
During the meeting, GB governor and chief minister informed the president about the development projects being undertaken by the government of Gilgit-Baltistan. They also apprised the president about various issues being faced by the people of GB, particularly the lack of education, health facilities and unemployment.
Highlighting the potential of the area, President Zardari said that GB had enormous hydroelectric potential that needed to be capitalized upon for its development. He said that GB was blessed with abundant natural resources, including mining, gems, and minerals, which should be fully explored and developed to bring economic prosperity to the area. The president underlined the need to initiate programs for the training and skill development of GB’s youth to equip them with employable skills as per market demand.