The UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nigel Casey, is in Pakistan for a three-day visit to Islamabad and Karachi.
Nigel Casey held meetings with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq to cover matters related to Afghanistan.
He discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, for which the UK has already pledged £50m of funding for 2.5m Afghans, most of them women and girls, drawn from the UK’s £286 million aid commitment to Afghanistan this year. Nigel also discussed areas of mutual concern, including inclusive politics, women’s rights, and the security situation.
In addition to his discussions on Afghanistan, the Special Representative will meet business leaders in Karachi to discuss trade opportunities between the UK and Pakistan. The UK and Pakistan share strong business and people-to-people ties which are bolstered by the 1.6 million Pakistani diaspora in the UK.
Nigel Casey said: “I am grateful to Pakistan for support to our efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghans affiliated to the UK from Afghanistan. “The UK is committed to doing everything it can to ensure stability in Afghanistan, and our policy is one of pragmatic engagement. We will continue to work together with Pakistan on matters of shared concern, including providing humanitarian support to the people of Afghanistan and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a place where terrorism flourishes.”
