By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday emphasized the need for promoting greater economic collaborations with Tunisia to boost bilateral trade.
The president, talking to Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Tunisia, Javed Ahmed Umrani, who called on him, also called for increasing interactions and exchanges between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of both countries. He said that Pakistan greatly valued its historical and brotherly ties with Tunisia and both countries had commonality of views on various issues.
He asked the envoy to play his role in further strengthening bilateral relations with Tunisia by increasing cooperation in the fields of education, culture, and defense. President Alvi acknowledged Tunisia’s vision for making OIC a substantive platform for advancing inter-faith harmony as well as cooperation in addressing international issues such as the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute, Palestine and Islamophobia.
He also welcomed Tunisia’s support to the resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of OIC at the UN Human Rights Council in July 2023 on “Countering Religious Hatred” in the wake of the incident of burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
The president asked the ambassador-designate to highlight at various fora the issues of Islamophobia as well as the mistreatment of minorities in India.
He stated that India was committing gross human rights violations and persecuting Muslims in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), adding that the real face of India needed to be exposed to the world.
The president also asked the ambassador to convey his good wishes for Tunisia’s success in strengthening its democracy and democratic institutions under the leadership of President Kais Saied.
