His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales calls on the Prime Minister to enquire after his health

is Royal Highness The Prime Minister also acknowl- (HRH), The Prince edged the kind messages received of Wales called on from the British leadership and Mr Muhammad friends after his surgery. The Prime Nawaz Sharif, Minister conveyed to HRH his best Prime Minister of wishes for Her Majesty the Queen on , to enquire after his health in her 90th birthday and on becoming HLondon on 11 June 2016. the longest reigning British monarch. HRH Prince Charles expressed best He also appreciated UK’s develop- wishes for the speedy recovery and ment assistance to Pakistan, especially good health of the Prime Minister in health and education sectors. and hoped that he would be returning The Prime Minister renewed the invi- soon to Pakistan to resume his office tation to The Prince of Wales to visit with renewed vigour. The Prince also Pakistan at his earliest convenience. conveyed good wishes to the Prime The Prime Minister was presented Minister on behalf of Her Majesty Expressing his deep appreciation for that he was overwhelmed by HRH’s with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of The Queen Elizabeth II and the peo- the friendly gesture by HRH Prince warmth and sentiments for his well The Prince of Wales. ple of the United Kingdom. Charles, the Prime Minister stated being.

Queen’s Young Leaders from Pakistan Awarded

er Majesty The He met with the Pakistani Award Queen presented winners and commended their efforts awards to the 2016 for the prestigious Award. The High Queen’s Young Commissioner termed them role Leaders from models for the Pakistani youth. Pakistan, Zainab Zainab Bibi is a keen environmental- Bibi and Muhammad Usman Khan, ist, with a strong interest in renewable Hin a special ceremony at Buckingham energy. In 2013, she established the Palace on 23 June 2016. His Royal Pakistan Society for Green Energy to Highness Prince Harry attended the increase awareness of green energy event in support of The Queen, which solutions. Muhammad Usman Khan recognised exceptional young people is dedicated to helping all children to from across the Commonwealth who receive an education. After attending are making lasting change in their the British Council’s Active Citizens communities. Programme, he designed an educa- H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High tional programme called Back to Life Commissioner to the UK attended the Edutainment for street children. ceremony at the Buckingham Palace.

Queen’s Young Leaders from Pakistan Awarded

Sir Anand Satyanand, Former Governor-General of New Zealand and current The Hon. Shaoquett Moselmane MLC Opposition Whip in the Legislative Chair of the Commonwealth Foundation called on H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Council Australia called on H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Commissioner to the UK Pakistani media hosted at the Pakistan High Commission Narrative about Pakistan is changing in the UK: Syed Ibne Abbas

he High Commission was on the path of fast recovery with the media about the improvements in Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford for Pakistan in London the prayers of the entire nation and he in Consular Services in line with the and Glasgow, which has resolved a organized a dinner in would soon be discharging his re- instructions of the Prime Minister of long standing issue of the community, honour of the UK- sponsibilities with even greater focus Pakistan. He particularly mentioned added the High Commissioner. based Pakistani media and energy. about provisions introduced for per- The High Commissioner also shared persons in its premises The High Commissioner also con- sons with special needs. with the media the elaborate plans on 1 June 2016. gratulated the Pakistani community The High Commissioner apprised envisioned by the High Commission TThe purpose of the event was to on epoch making election of Mayor the guests that the Consular Services for the 70th Independence Anniver- further enhance interaction with the Sadiq Khan and hoped that it would were continuously being modernized sary of Pakistan and asked for media’s Pakistani media and update them help inspire our youth and communi- by starting online booking of ap- support to carry out those social and on the developments and initiatives ty at large. pointments, launching of interactive cultural activities. taken by the High Commission in the The High Commissioner said the website, compiling of email database The High Commissioner commend- recent past. A large number of media narrative about Pakistan was chang- for dissemination of information and ed the excellent role of the Pakistani persons comprising editors, reporters, ing in the UK positively in view of recently the Wifi was also made avail- media in the UK and said they were anchor persons, columnists, cam- the enhanced investment opportu- able for the visitors in the Consular a guiding force for the community as eramen and photographers were in nities created by the China-Pakistan Hall. well as the High Commission. attendance. Economic Corridor (CPEC), and Similarly, the NADRA and Machine The media persons greatly appreciated Speaking on the occasion, the High improved security environment of the Readable Passport (MRP), services High Commission’s efforts to engage Commissioner said that by the grace country. are also available at the London Mis- with media and general community. of Allah Almighty, the Prime Minister The High Commissioner apprised sion as well as all the four Consulates Pakistan participates in Growing Economies Energy Forum in London

he Growing Econo- mies Energy Forum (GEEF), hosted open discussions between the governments and private sector from the most anticipated new energy markets Tin the world including Pakistan, in London from 22-23 June 2016. The Forum explored ways and means to tap into opportunities at an early stage as these countries open up for international investment following political and economic developments. H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK delivered the key-note address on “The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Paki- stan’s Power Strategy”. He highlighted tor of Pakistan, particularly, energy Commissioner. ence on the performance of K-Elec- the role of private investors in increas- sector. He also informed the Forum Shah Jehan Mirza, Managing Direc- tric. Mr Liang Xuan, Director Middle ing the efficiency of Pakistan’s power that existing power companies are tor, Private Power and Infrastructure East and North Africa, Goldwind industry and importance of indige- receiving excellent returns on their Board (PPIB), Ministry of Water and International Holdings (HK) Limited nous coal and hydro-power develop- investments by virtue of the liberal Power, Pakistan made a presentation appraised the Forum about huge wind ment for Pakistan. investment regime of Pakistan. The on the policy and legal framework of energy potential in Pakistan. The High Commissioner updated High Commissioner highlighted the the energy sector of Pakistan and the The Forum provided a valuable op- the participants that the Government overwhelming hydro-power potential immense opportunities available for portunity for the Pakistan delegation of Pakistan has turned around the of Pakistan that is around 60,000 MW, international investors. Mr Saad Zam- to exchange ideas on energy sector economy in the last three years and most of which is untapped. Similarly, an of Abraaj Group informed the par- in Pakistan. The High Commissioner now we seek to showcase the enor- Pakistan’s coal reserves of 185 billion ticipants about their huge investment congratulated the Energy Net Ltd on mous opportunities for profitable tons can cumulatively generate 4620 in Pakistan. Similarly, Mr Asif Saad, organising the Forum. investments that exist in every sec- MW electricity, informed the High COO of K-Electric briefed the audi- Top position holder Pakistani students visit the High Commission

group of thirty top position holder stu- dents of Graduation level from all over Pakistan were hosted to a reception at Pa- kistan High Commission London on AJune 2016. The group comprised high achievers; several of them were world record holders in various academic subjects at O Level and A Level. Welcoming the students, H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commis- sioner to the UK, congratulated them on their academic achievements. He praised the students’ aspiration to serve Pakistan in diverse fields. The High Commissioner hoped that their interaction with a host of public and private institutions in the UK would be rewarding. The High Commissioner appreciated the vision of Chief Minister Pun- jab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif for sending the students to visit foreign educational institutions and get deep- Chevening scholarships and the Com- stan to the cutting edge technologies others, where they got exposure to er understanding of diverse cultures. monwealth scholarships. The Gov- and academic practices in the West- contemporary teaching methods in He urged the students to make the ernment of Punjab has undertaken ern World. The group, during their the UK. The students also visited the most of this opportunity to enrich this initiative to familiarize the bright three-week stay in the UK visited British Parliament and some leading their learning experience, especially and promising students from all over prestigious academic institutions in media houses in the UK.The High in the age of the Internet which has Pakistan, with the leading educational the UK including Oxford University, Commissioner gave away mementos transcended geographical barriers. institutions of the European countries Cambridge University, London School to the students at the end. After the The students were briefed about the and then study there. The visit also of Economics, Strathclyde Universi- UK, the group visited universities in opportunities offered by the British aimed to introduce the youth of Paki- ty and Glasgow University amongst Germany and Sweden. Multi-faith Iftar dinner

n inter-faith Iftar dinner was held at the Birmingham Central Mosque on 23 June, 2016. It was organized by the chairman of the mosque committee, ACouncillor Mohammad Afzal and attended by Consul in Birmingham, Syed Maroof and MP Andrew Mitch- ell as the chief guest. People from various ethnicities and faiths were also amongst the attendees. In his brief remarks, the Con- sul appreciated the initiative of the Central Mosque for having organized multi-faith gathering. He underscored the need for more such events, to help create mutual-understanding among the followers of different faiths and promote inter-faith harmony. Supporting Aman Foundation, Pakistan

he Pakistan Consulate, noble cause, so that it could achieve Birmingham organised the goal that it had set for itself. The an Iftar dinner in sup- CEO of the foundation also informed port of Aman Foun- the guests about the organisation’s dation, Pakistan on 24 history, vision and its mission for the June 2016. The pur- future. He also thanked everyone for pose of the event was to introduce the their help and support.On this occa- Tstate of the art ambulance service in sion, UBL’s achievement as the ‘Best Karachi, and then in the entire coun- Bank’ of the year was also celebrated. try. In his remarks, Consul Maroof Head of Marketing, Mr Bill shared the urged the attendees to support the bank’s success over the past years. Scottish University student’s blog on

Stuart Dodds, a 23 years old Sterling University student (doing his BA “https://stuartdoddstravels.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/pakistan- Honours in Business Studies) and an 2016-islamabad-and-the-karakoram-highway/. avid international traveller has written a blog on his experiences following a visit to the northern areas of Pakistan during his holidays in May. It is largely a very positive, detailed and beautifully illustrated account and encourages others also to explore that part of the world. Two excerpts from his blog: PRIOR TO VISIT: “When I told my parents about this trip they weren’t exactly thrilled. Whilst my Dad used to work in Karachi, albeit in the 1970s when things were very different, the events in Lahore three weeks prior to my arrival weren’t exactly going to lighten the mood. We had the same “worst case scenario” discussions. “ SUBSEQUENT TO VISIT

“I’d recommend to anyone who is on the fence deciding whether or not to visit to such a country to be brave and just go! Everyone I met was delighted to see me and after exchanging many a Facebook address I’ve been inundat- ed with home stay offers from all over the country for my next trip. So until next time, Pakistan it was a pleasure!” It’s a great travelogue and hopefully a harbinger of renewed influx of west- ern tourists particularly to the North- ern areas of Pakistan. Nagyr – A Road Less Travelled

ost visitors gyr Valley is waiting to be explored. may not have prospered as well as lenge, there is the opportunity to scale exploring the The two valleys were initially ruled its neighbour, the trekking in Nagyr itself, which is over 5000m. north of Paki- by brothers, but over the years fierce is far superior for the sheer diversity It is a circular route, which means the stan will inev- rivalry grew and many bloody wars that it offers. One such trek is that of return journey is equally impressive. itably spend were fought. Over time Hunza, how- Rush Peak. It really has everything All this can be done in as little as four some time in ever, benefitted from the trade routes for the trekker who is big on experi- days. For those left wanting more – the scenic sanctuary of the Hunza from Central Asia and this allowed ence but short on time. Starting at the and you will, the base camp treks to MValley. And why not - the people are the valley to grow in size, strength and village of Hoper, there are glaciers to Golden Peak and the beautiful Raka- welcoming, the mountain panoramas importance. Indeed, once the Kar- be crossed, flower filled meadows to poshi are also in Nagyr. are stunning and the infrastructure is akoram Highway opened for business walk through, sublime views of Hun- The best time to trek in Nagyr is from well set up for tourism. in 1986, it further consolidated the za panorama to be had, and camping June through to September. A jeep But for those who wish to step back in trade links that would soon flow from by the pristine Rush Lake at 4600m from Karimabad to Hoper will take time and have a less commercial expe- China. Today, the difference between surrounded by snow capped giants. you just over an hour. rience across the , the Na- the valleys is stark. Whilst Nagyr For those looking for that extra chal-