Rabbani calls for improving Pak-Brunei ties

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Friday said that Asian countries were required to build multilateral relations through regional associations like Asean, as they needed to protect their interests in the face of the West’s supremacy in the continent.
Talking to the High Commissioner of Brunei Darrusalam Brigadier-General (R) Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud bin Haji Saidin, who called on him at the Parliament House, he said Asia was a continent with diverse cultures and we needed to pick up the common thread. The chairman Senate said Pakistan and Brunei were friendly countries that needed to work on improving economic and defence relations. In defence, he said, one area that both countries could benefit from was military training, particularly air force.
He said he was grateful to the government of Brunei for hosting Pakistani students, doctors and teachers adding that the two countries should further improve relations in the fields of medicine and education.
Rabbani said, “we look forward to the visit of Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, GCB GCMG to Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. When in Pakistan, the Senate of Pakistan would like to cordially invite His Highness to visit the Upper House of the Parliament,” he told the Brunei High Commissioner. He urged Dato Mahmud to meet the business community in Pakistan, specifically Karachi that might be interested in business relations with Brunei Darussalam.