UK Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad visits Pakistan

PAKISTAN remains one of the priority countries for the Commonwealth and for Chevening, Lord Tariq Ahmad, the minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said during his two-day visit to the country.

Chevening is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s flagship international scholarships programme, and it provides future leaders an opportunity to study at any UK university.

Lord Ahmad, along with British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, met a number of the recently returned Chevening and Commonwealth scholars during his trip, and he said “these scholars are a testament to the education links between the UK and Pakistan.”

The minister also met Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi where they discussed trade and bilateral relations, as well as the Commonwealth and the British-Pakistani diaspora.

Following a panel discussion at the Fatimah Jinnah Women University on British Council’s Active Citizens Programme, which teaches the importance of tolerance and inclusion, Lord Ahmad wrote on Twitter that he was “struck by the courageous human rights projects students are conducting.”

Lord Ahmad also attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Rawalpindi and spoke to civil society and human rights activists at a reception held at the British High Commission.