By Adnan Rafique
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Wednesday held a meeting with the Turkish Ambassador, Dr. Irfan Nazir Oglu and discussed various proposals regarding religious harmony, respect for humanity, and providing more job opportunities for Pakistani workers in Turkiye.
Minister Salik said Pakistan and Turkiye are like one soul in two bodies, bound by the eternal ties of religion, history, and culture.
Both brotherly countries share a similar stance on regional and global issues and have always supported each other’s positions on regional and international forums, he added.
Dr. Irfan Nazir Oglu expressed sorrow over the deaths of Pakistanis in the Morocco boat incident and reaffirmed the commitment to providing more job opportunities for skilled Pakistanis in Turkiye.
He also said Turkiye is working on increasing the supply of machinery to Pakistani industries and expanding technical training and educational projects in Pakistan.
Several Turkish companies are successfully operating in Pakistan; however, there remains significant potential to increase joint investment and trade volume, he said adding that there are sincere fraternal relations between Pakistan and Turkiye, and both countries can achieve many milestones in the economic field.
Minister Salik mentioned that the Government of Pakistan is taking more effective steps to prevent human trafficking.
In the past year, 600,000 Pakistanis went abroad for employment, and by December 2024, overseas Pakistanis sent a record remittance of 3.1 billion dollars to Pakistan, he added.
He said the establishment of better banking channels between Turkiye and Pakistan is also essential for promoting mutual trade.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to enhance cooperation towards eliminating extremism and terrorism, promoting interfaith harmony, and providing skilled Pakistanis with modern technical education.
