SHANGHAI, Dec 17: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday laid the foundation stone of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Shanghai. Speaking to members of the Pakistani community here, he said: "This consulate-general would be our third mission in China.

There is an embassy in Beijing and a consulate in Hong Kong. And now we have acquired a piece of land in the prime area of Shanghai to set up a consulate-general." He observed that a diplomatic mission should have been opened in Shanghai long ago.

"In selecting a consul-general in Shanghai, we have been very fortunate that we have found somebody like Zafar Mahmood who knows the Chinese language very well and is familiar with the country and acquainted with the business community of China," he said.

He said Shanghai had developed like a Manhattan or a New York. The Pakistani Ambassador to China, Riaz Mohammad Khan, recalled that the Pakistan International Airlines was the first international carrier to start operations to Shanghai over 40 years ago.

"An official Pakistani presence in Shanghai has been a long-standing demand of the Pakistani community. I am confident that our interaction with residents will increase exponentially after the inauguration of the consulate-general in this port city," he said.

Opinion

Editorial

Taliban divisions
Updated 24 Feb, 2025

Taliban divisions

The only workable solution lies in Mullah Akhundzada loosening his iron grip on the country.
Oblivious to drought
24 Feb, 2025

Oblivious to drought

PAKISTAN faces two types of drought: one caused by dry weather or lower-than-normal rainfall, and the other ...
Digital children
24 Feb, 2025

Digital children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a...
The long wait
Updated 23 Feb, 2025

The long wait

Pakistan’s fundamental problem is that two of its most important leaders still cannot get over themselves.
Defending freedom
23 Feb, 2025

Defending freedom

THERE was no other choice. Despite assurances of consultations with key stakeholders, the government passed the Peca...
Anti-Muslim crimes
23 Feb, 2025

Anti-Muslim crimes

THE surge in Islamophobic assaults in the UK, as reported by the anti-hate crime charity Tell MAMA, is a stark...