ISLAMABAD, 27 August 2004 — Visiting Bosnian President Sulejman Tihic yesterday complained Muslim countries were not as forthcoming for his country’s reconstruction and development as they were during its war with Serbia. “Bosnia, a country of 3.85 million people, needs foreign investment for rapid economic development,” Tihic told Pakistani businessmen in Islamabad. He eulogized Pakistan’s political and financial support to Bosnia and hoped its businessmen would contribute to the economic development of his country through direct investments and trade. Pakistan provided financial resources as well as military hardware including short-range Anza missiles, manufactured by the country’s premier defense establishment Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). Pakistani troops also served as part of 60,000 United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in the strife-torn Balkan republic. Tihic said with the improvement of security situation in his country, the number of international peacekeepers deployed there has come down from to just 7,000 troops. “But we still need assistance from the Islamic countries to get out of the ravages of war, which killed 200,000 people,” Tihic said. The Bosnian President, who flies back home today, held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf, who offered help to the Balkan state in many areas such as textile trade, agriculture, mining and industrial sectors. During a visit to the Taxila museum, Tihic said there were great similarities in the cultures of the two countries. He said he was impressed to see Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage. He said the jewelry found from the ancient ruins is quite similar to the ones recovered from old Greek and Roman empires. He said this shows the cultural affinity of the two countries. The Bosnian president was briefed about Taxila — a seat of great learning. The Bosnian delegation led by Tihic went round different galleries of the museum to look at over 7,000 rare artifacts, including the Gandhara sculptures made of stone, stucco and terra-cotta, gold and silver jewelry, household utensils, weapons, farming tools and pottery.
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