PM terms Japan close friend

KARACHI: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday termed Japan as a close friend and development partner during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 71st United Nations (UN) General Assembly session in New York, a statement said.  The two leaders had last met on the margins of the 68th UN General Assembly session in September 2013.

Japanese Premier extended his support to Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts, economic reforms and Prime Minister Sharif’s endeavours for reaching out to neighbouring countries for the sake of regional peace, stability and prosperity of the people.

Abe strongly condemned the recent terrorist incidents in Quetta and other cities and extended his condolences on the loss of precious lives during the terrorist attacks. 

The two sides expressed concern over the recent developments in the Korean peninsula.  "Pakistan strongly condemns the recent nuclear tests, conducted by North Korea, and urged the country to abide by its international treaty obligations," said the prime minister Sharif.   Regional situation, particularly in India and Afghanistan, also came under discussion.

Sharif raised the plight of the innocent Kashmiri people at the hands of Indian occupation forces. “Japan is a major country. I request you to exercise your valuable influence and urge India for ending human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir,” he said. “The Kashmiri people must be allowed to choose their destiny in accordance with the long-held commitment to the international community through UNSC (UN Security Council) resolutions.”

The Prime Minister Abe also expressed his deep concern over the present situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. 

On Afghanistan, the Prime Minister Sharif apprised the Japanese premier of Pakistan’s efforts for peace and reconciliation and reiterated the country’s desire for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. Japanese prime minister said the current bilateral ties between the two countries need to be deepened. 

Sharif said Pakistan has a huge potential for investment in diverse fields. “Japan can bring in the capacity to produce value-added goods and also benefit from investing in diverse fields in Pakistan,” he added.

Japan is one of the Pakistan’s largest trading partners with the annual bilateral trade of $1.86 billion. “This trade needs to be enhanced further,” Sharif said. 

Pakistan’s successes in operation Zarb-e-Azb, the military campaign against terrorists as well as the implementation of the National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism and violent extremism restored peace in the country. 

“The economy is boosting and we are achieving energy self-sufficiency,” the premier Sharif said. “All these achievements have reinforced the confidence of the foreign investors and made Pakistan an ideal destination for investment.” The meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and both the sides agreed to enhance the frequency of high-level interaction in order to lend momentum to bilateral ties between both the countries.