LAHORE/KARACHI: Former heir apparent Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani met PML-N president Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif after he arrived in Lahore on Wednesday.
The 13-member delegation led by the Qatari royal was also accompanied by the Ehtesab Bureau former chairman and a close aide of Sharif family Saifur Rehman Khan.
The delegation arrived in their private jet flight number A7-IISJ. In addition to the pilots and the crew, the dignitaries included Mustafa Muhammad Usman bin Muhammad Nuur, Hadi Rashid MH bin Almudafari and Fady bin Bakhos.
The Qatari dignitaries were first taken to Nawaz's residence at Jati Umra with full government protocol. According to sources, the lunch meeting between Sheikh Jassim and Nawaz included discussions on matters of mutual interest and business ties.
The Qatari royal then met Shehbaz at his Model Town residence where the two reportedly discussed bilateral ties and LNG projects in Punjab. The Qatari dignitaries were then flown to Karachi to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Unit-1 of 1320-MW coal-fired power plant at Port Qasim. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi welcomed them at the venue and performed the inauguration.
There, however, was confusion in media regarding the Qatari royalty as majority reported that he was the former Qatari prime minister who had written the infamous letter to support the stance of Nawaz and his family in the Panama Papers case. Media pundits and anchors discussed and debated the reasons for the visit and the ‘Qatari khat (letter)’, without knowing that it was not him visiting Pakistan, but his son Jassim.
In his address in Karachi, Sheikh Jassim – who is also the head of investment group Al-Mirqab Capital – expressed tremendous confidence in Pakistan and expressed his desire for more investment in the country.
He praised Nawaz for his visionary and investment-friendly policies. It is worth noting that Al-Mirqab Capital has invested in the power project along with a Chinese company Power China.
Sheikh Jassim also appreciated the craftsmanship of Power China and its associated companies as well as various Pakistani agencies and departments extending their full support.
