Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Mr. Ahsan Iqbal made a courtesy call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning at Temple Trees, the President Media Unit said.

In a release posted on its website the Minister is quoted as telling the President that the Lankan government has won admiration for defeating the LTTE.
 “Your government has won a lot of admiration for overcoming the war”, Mr. Iqbal told President Rajapaksa during their discussion. He also thanked Sri Lanka for the support it gave when medical teams were sent to Pakistan to help contain the dengue epidemic. Mr. Iqbal said that the gesture created a lot of good will among the Pakistani people towards Sri Lanka, the release said.

The President and the Minister also spoke about increasing trade between the two countries so that the political good will between the two nations can be reflected more in the economic relationship as well, the media unit of the President said..

The Pakistani delegation also included Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo Ms. Amna Baloch and the High Commission’s Third Secretary Mr. Bilal Akram Shah.

According to the release -Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Mr. Karunatilaka Amunugama and Director General, South Asia, of the Ministry of External Affairs Mr. Dharshana Perera also joined the discussion.