Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong have expressed their desire to further deepen bilateral ties between Pakistan and Singapore with focus on enhancing trade and investment.

The two leaders expressed the desire during their meeting held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a Foreign Office statement issued here on Wednesday said.

Referring to the recent improvements in Pakistan’s rankings by different rating agencies, Prime Minister Imran Khan invited the Singaporean businessmen and investors to increase their footprint in the country. He also apprised the Singapore’s prime minister of the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian-held Kashmir arising from the illegal and unilateral Indian actions of the last August. Both sides also agreed to enhance cooperation at the multilateral fora.

Meanwhile, President of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Special Assistant to PM Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Ambassador at Large on Investments Ali Jehangir Siddiqui, Governor State Bank Raza Baqir were also present.

President of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Masatsugu Asakawa also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, PM Office media wing said in a press release.

In his meeting with President Aliyev, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on his country’s support as a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. “The two leaders discussed the whole spectrum of bilateral relations that are marked by mutual trust and support,” a PM Office statement said.

The prime minister updated President Aliyev on the grave and systematic human rights violations in the Indian-held Kashmir as well as the devastating impact of the Indian government’s unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019.

Imran Khan reiterated Pakistan’s support to Azerbaijan on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two sides reiterated mutual support for each other’s national causes and resolved to further deepen bilateral relation in all fields. It was also agreed to maintain frequent bilateral exchanges, including at the highest level.President Aliyev invited Prime Minister Khan to visit Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube Susan Wojcicki and CEO Siemens Joe Kaeser separately called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos.

Discussions were held on utilizing digital platforms for image building of Pakistan, promotion of tourism and attracting investments. Utilization of digital platforms for promotion of education was also discussed. Discussions were also held on technology transfer, investment and skills enhancement cooperation.

In another meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan invited SAP (System, Applications and Product), a software solution company of international acclaim, to support ‘Digital Pakistan’ initiative in skills development and training of youth in collaboration with major universities. In a meeting with Chief Executive Officer SAP Christian Klein on the sidelines of World Economic Forum at the Swiss resort Davos, the prime minister expressed desire for establishing SAP laboratories in Pakistan for promotion of software engineering, a PM Office statement said issued here.

SAP (System, Applications and Product) is one of the world’s largest enterprise software companies, known for their Enterprise Resource Planning Software with a significant footprint in the public and private sector of Pakistan.

Imran Khan said his government is utilizing digital applications for governance including citizen’s complaint redressal, for procedural efficiency at public offices and for improving ease of doing business. Christian Klein apprised the Prime Minister that SAP has a long association with Pakistan since last 20 years with its most significant project the digital system for administering salaries and pensions of the Government of Pakistan. He appreciated Pakistan’s focus on digitization of governance and economic sectors and e expressed SAP’s commitment to train young software engineers in Germany and using them for software development in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) Seth Berkley called on Prime Minister Imran Khan. The prime minister apprised the CEO of government’s policy reforms for strengthening the health sector in Pakistan. He appreciated the continuous support extended by GAVI to Pakistan to protect children against deadly but preventable diseases. He said Pakistan has become the first country in the world to introduce typhoid vaccine in its routine immunization schedule. He highlighted the government’s efforts to eradicate polio from the country and to achieve the goal of universal immunization coverage.