PM Shahid Abbasi highlights plight of Kashmiri people in meeting with Theresa May

LONDON: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday highlighted the plight of Kashmiri people in a meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May in London. 

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Commonwealth leaders retreat at Windsor Castle in London. 

Prime Minister Abbasi urged the international community to respond to the current human rights situation in Indian occupied Kashmir. 

The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral interest in the meeting. Prime Minister Abbasi congratulated Prime Minister May on the efficient steering of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

The Pakistani premier informed his British counterpart of Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism. He also underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral relations especially in the context of trade and investment and thanked UK for the work done by its development agency in Pakistan. 

Abbasi appreciated the appointment of a trade envoy by the UK government to help explore trade and investment opportunities between the two countries, especially in the post-Brexit context. He also spoke of his visit to Kabul and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan. 

Prime Minister May appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism and in this context recalled Prime Minister Abbasi’s reference to more than 100,000 Pakistanis affected in the country's fight against terrorism over the past 10 years. 

She appreciated Prime Minister Abbasi’s efforts in reaching out to Afghanistan, especially during his recent visit to Kabul. She added that Pakistan-UK relations are strong and underscored the importance of enhancing trade between the two countries.

In response to Prime Minister May’s reference to the recent alleged use of chemical weapons, Prime Minister Abbasi recalled Pakistan’s principled position of condemning any use of chemical weapons and upholding the principles of the UN Charter.