Pakistan’s ties with Arab nations getting ‘stronger’ — PM aide

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani prime minister’s special adviser on religious harmony and the Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, said on Tuesday the South Asian nation’s relations with Arab countries were getting “stronger” under the current government, urging Muslim nations to come together to fight extremism and Islamophobia.
Ashrafi was speaking to reporters from the Pakistani and international press.
“Ashrafi said that relations with all Arab countries are getting stronger, adding that Pakistan’s foreign policy toward Arab Islamic countries is being praised everywhere,” a statement from the adviser’s office said. “There is a need to streamline cohesive and coordinated struggle to eliminate the menaces of Islamicphobia, extremism and terrorism at world level.”
Ashrafi said discussions were underway to establish a Pakistan-Arab Forum to strengthen Islamabad’s relations with Arab states.
“Consultations are underway on the formation of the Pak-Arab Forum, and to strengthen economic, tourism, cultural and religious ties with Arab Islamic countries,” the adviser said.
The establishment of the forum follows Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policy to improve Pakistan’s economic and strategic ties with all Arab countries. Last October, the government founded a study center specialized in the Middle East at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
“The work on the Pak-Arab Federation has started with the basic aim to help in strengthening the relationship of Pakistan with brotherly Arab countries,” Ashrafi told Arab News in January.
He explained that the federation would be an autonomous body, consisting of representatives of Pakistan and all major Arab countries.
“This forum will be an autonomous non-governmental federation which consist of businessmen, chambers of commerce, religious scholars, intellectuals, academicians, journalists and other professional bodies,” Ashrafi had said.
He added that the federation would also serve as an advisory body to the Pakistani government to help it boost Pakistan’s image in Arab countries.
“This federation will also work as crisis management forum to remove misconception which can hamper bilateral relations of Pakistan with any of the Arab country,” he said, adding that it would act as a “back-channel diplomacy forum” to help quickly resolve important issues through people-to-people contacts.
The federation is also going to form a close liaison with more than 5 million Pakistanis in Arab countries, Ashrafi said, and “will work to facilitate our Arab brothers to improve their people-to-people contact with Pakistan.”
He added: “This federation will work to further enhance relations between Islamic countries and will not be affected by the change of governments.”
In January, Ashrafi met with the ambassadors of Oman, Kuwait and Iraq in Islamabad to speak about the initiative, and said after initial work Pakistan would take other embassies of Arab states on board also.
“After completion of initial work, we will contact the embassies of all Arab countries to brief them about the work and scope of the federation,” he said, “We will also incorporate their suggestions to make it an effective federation.”

Pakistan’s ties with Arab nations getting ‘stronger’ — PM aide