London mayor Sadiq Khan to visit Pakistan

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday, announced his plans to visit India and Pakistan.

He expressed that democracy is the only way forward for Pakistan.

The London Mayor said he was on a mission to drum up trade links between the capital and the two subcontinent countries.

Khan is due to meet not only politicians and business leaders but also figures in the film industries as well as representatives of the sports, tech and education sectors during his six-day visit to six cities towards the end of this year.

According to his office, Mr Khan would be the first Mayor of London to visit India and Pakistan in a single trip, as well as the first major British politician to carry out a trade mission to both countries in recent times.

Responding to a question regarding people buying properties in the UK, he said, these issues are for the Pakistani courts and the British Government to settle. But of course living in a democracy, judges can hold the executive accountable if there is any wrongdoing, he said.

Sadiq Khan said, in Pakistan, democracy is the only solution. He said, there are challenges but democracy gives people opportunities and influences who governs us.

Sadiq Khan said bilateral trade between the UK and Pakistan is valued at £2bn and in 2015 five Pakistanis companies were listed on the London Stock Exchange with a combined market value of £10.5bn.

He said he was deliberately going Pakistan and India because British politicians go either to Pakistan or India and if they go to Pakistan they only go to Islamabad but “we will set a record”.

He said, “in Pakistan, I will go to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Lahore is the cultural capital, Islamabad is the political capital and Karachi is the commercial capital of Pakistan, and I will go all these places."

The London Mayor said, "We will go to six cities in six days in India and Pakistan, we will not be sleeping. I want to send the message to Pakistan and India that London is open for talent, business and friendships.”

Only two cities in the world provide more investment in Pakistan than London, and 44% of the fastest growing Indian companies now have a base in London.

Khan said, "As someone whose grandparents were born in India, and whose parents moved to London from Pakistan, I feel a deep affinity for the subcontinent."

"But what excites me most about this trip is that I know it can deliver real benefits for Londoners — benefits in terms of business and trade, jobs and investment, and in terms of cultural and technological exchange," he added.

"This is a really important mission as there are so many areas in which London can work with its counterparts across India and Pakistan, not only in business but in tackling some of the biggest challenges we all face - such as air pollution and climate change."

"I am passionate about showing that my city will always be open to engaging with partners from around the world, and I look forward to strengthening the bonds between London and our friends in India and Pakistan later this year," said the London Mayor.

Accompanied by his deputy mayor for business, Rajesh Agrawal, Sadiq Khan is due to visit Mumbai, Delhi and Amritsar in India, before heading to Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan.