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Today's Paper | December 23, 2024

Updated 02 Aug, 2018 12:00am

British high commissioner meets Imran Khan, congratulates him over election victory

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew on Wednesday called on prime minister-designate Imran Khan at his Banigala residence.

The British envoy and his delegation congratulated Khan over his party's victory in the 2018 general elections, a statement issued by the party said.

"The PTI chairman's address to the nation has left a very positive impact in Britain," the British High Commissioner was quoted as saying by the PTI statement.

"The British government is ready to extend complete cooperation to PTI's government in Pakistan," he said.

He promised that the Department for International Development (DFID) would provide assistance to the Pakistani government for the schooling of 2.2 million children who are deprived of education.

The ambassador also expressed his desire to work with the PTI government for the uplifting of other sectors.

According to the statement, Imran Khan thanked the British government for wishing Pakistan well and praised DFID's role in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"Pakistan's relations with Britain are of great importance," he said whilst observing that a large number of Pakistanis are residents of Britain.

The soon-to-be premier expressed his resolve to bring back to Pakistan the wealth transferred to Britain through money laundering.

The British ambassador was only the latest foreign dignitary to have visited Khan in recent days. The envoys of China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all called on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman since his party emerged as the winner of the July 25 polls.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also telephoned Khan to congratulate him over his party's victory and saying that his country was "ready to enter a new era of relations with Pakistan", according to a PTI statement.

Khan has said that he will take oath as prime minister on August 11.

Meanwhile, PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry earlier today confirmed that the party had asked the Foreign Office (FO) to apprise it on whether foreign heads of state could be invited to the prime minister's oath-taking ceremony.

Chaudhry told Dawn that the PTI had asked the FO if it would be possible to invite foreign dignitaries, including Indian Prime Minister Modi, given the short period of time before the ceremony takes place.

Additionally, he said, the party had invited celebrities like Amir Khan, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavasker for the ceremony.

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