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SARAJEVO, February 2 (FENA) - Pakistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina have very good bilateral relations, focusing on cooperation in international forums, economic cooperation, as well as in various fields such as defense, education, tourism and culture, said Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to BiH Muhammad Khalid Rao in an interview with FENA, adding that there is room for enhancing cooperation in a number of areas.
Interview by: Hana Imamović
The Ambassador stressed that Pakistan wants to strengthen relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina in all sectors, as BiH is an important country in the Balkans.
He referred to economic cooperation, citing that the recent World Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2020 ranked Pakistan at 108th out of 190 countries in the world, which is an improvement from the country's 136th position last year.
This shows a significant improvement, and businessmen from many countries have more confidence in investing in Pakistan because of the business environment the country offers. The Ambassador also urged BiH investors to seize the various opportunities of such an environment in Pakistan.
Talking about the country's tourism potential, he noted that the Government of Pakistan has put tourism among its priorities and, as perception of Pakistan around the world is gradually changing, there are many reasons to conclude that Pakistan will experience strong growth in the tourism sector in the next decade.
In December 2019, the American travel magazine "Condé Nast Traveler" declared Pakistan the best holiday destination in 2020. The selection was based on the criteria that the country should be "geographically diverse, offering different content from eco-tourism to adventure in order to satisfy all kinds of travelers".
"It shows that Pakistan offers endless tourism opportunities," Ambassador Rao said, urging the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit Pakistan to gain unique experience, especially given the simple visa policy.
In an interview with FENA, the Pakistani Ambassador also addressed increasing influx of migrants to BiH, including those from Pakistan, saying they were economic migrants who came to BiH after paying thousands of dollars to smugglers and traveling from one to three years. These people, he notes, do not want to return to Pakistan.
As he confirmed, the Embassy often tries to contact migrants accommodated in reception centers and assist them with their voluntary return to Pakistan. In the recent past, 51 Pakistani nationals have been returned to the country with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In addition, the Embassy supports the transfer of deceased Pakistani nationals and eight bodies have been transported to Pakistan so far.
The Pakistani Ambassador also spoke about the current situation in Kashmir area which is the most important issue between India and Pakistan.
The issue has been unresolved for 72 years despite the fact that three wars have taken place and many United Nations resolutions have been adopted, but India does not want to grant Kashmir the right to self-determination even though it is approved by UN resolution 39 (1948).
“Around one million members of the Indian security forces has sieged eight million Kashmir residents and have denied them freedom of movement as well as access to social networks,” the Ambassador said.
As he stated, he fears that the ruling party will try to change the demography of Kashmir and turn it into an area of Hindu majority. This would have great consequences for Kashmir, Pakistan and India, for peace and security in the region and beyond, but most of all for Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities in India.
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to BiH Muhammad Khalid Rao therefore concluded that the only possible solution to the Kashmir conflict is the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions on free expression on the issue in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmir people.
(FENA) A. B.
