Pakistan, Australia agree to enhance mutual collaboration in mining, trade

ISLAMABAD, Oct 28 (APP):Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that Pakistan highly valued its bilateral relations with Australia and desired to further expand cordial relations for mutual benefit of the people of two sides. He was talking to the Australian High Commissioner Dr. Geoferry Shaw during a meeting at the Parliament House on Monday.

He said that mining, trade and investment were some of the sectors which provided ample opportunities for bilateral collaboration. He appreciated cooperation between the two sides in education and development sectors and desired to extend this interaction to other areas, especially promoting parliamentary linkages and enhancing people to people contacts. He said that exchange of parliamentary delegations would also steer the economic cooperation and the business delegations to help explore the new avenues for increasing bilateral trade. He said that Pakistan and particularly Baluchistan province were blessed with natural resources and both Pakistani and Australian investors could explore possibilities of joint projects in mining sector.

The Australian High Commissioner informed that Australia had huge expertise in mining sector. Mutual collaboration between two countries would prove beneficial for both sides.

Chairman Senate also highlighted the significance of Gwadar in promoting regional connectivity for trade. He said that master plan of Gwadar had been approved and development process was being carried on a fast track. He called upon the Australian investors to explore possibilities for investment in Gwadar. He said that trade and economic relations were an important component of our ties.

He said that there was huge scope for initiating joint ventures in different sectors and business and investment community of both sides could explore possibilities for joint ventures.

Chairman Senate apprised the Australian High Commissioner about the human rights violations committed by the Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir , prolonged curfew and hardships of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir. He said that people in the occupied valley were living a miserable life. “ The situation calls for humanitarian assistance as the Indian Occupied forces had turned the valley into an open jail, ” Sanjrani observed. He said that world community must take notice of the human rights violations and the crimes committed by the Indian forces in the valley.

Australian Commissioner called for a peaceful resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations.

He agreed with the views of Chairman Senate and said that huge potential existed for enhancing trade and economic linkages.