Qatari Ambassador to Pakistan Sheikh Saoud Albulrahman Al-Thani said that Qatar places a high value on its relationship with Pakistan and is eager to further develop the already strong connections between the two friendly nations in all spheres. Addressing the guests on Qatar’s National Day, he said that the bilateral ties between the two countries have improved significantly in recent years on all fronts and would continue to do so.

Qatar has announced  $3 billion investment in Pakistan during the recent visit of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to Doha, he continued. The Amir of Qatar has stressed the value of the strategic and fraternal ties between the two countries, as well as their desire to strengthen their economic collaboration by increased trade and investment promotion through the Qatar Investment Authority, he said.

Qatar Petroleum and Pakistan State Oil Company Limited engaged in a new, long-term Sale and Purchase Agreement in February 2021 for the sale of up to 3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan annually. "This agreement further extends Qatar’s long-standing LNG supply relationship with Pakistan and highlights Qatar’s commitment to meeting Pakistan’s LNG requirements," the ambassador said.

The Qatari government has also decided to boost the number of Pakistanis living there in recognition of their contribution to the country's progress. "We have doubled the number of Pakistanis working in the State of Qatar and Qatar is now home to about 210,000 Pakistanis."

He said that over the next four years, 960,000 of Pakistan's poorest out-of-school children would be enrolled in primary school thanks to a partnership between the Asia Development Bank and Qatar's worldwide education charity, Education Above All (EAA). The new relationship builds on EAA's already impressive track record of enrolling more than 10.7 million children in school worldwide and is a part of a push to get the nation's most disadvantaged children into primary-level education, he continued.

Under many programmes carried out since 2012 in collaboration with various partners, Education Above All (EAA) has already helped educate nearly 1.3 million out-of-school children in Pakistan. The total amount of assistance for education through the "Educate a Child" programme was $124 million, the envoy said.

He added that Qatar was among the nations that swiftly reacted to Pakistan's cry for help and supplied medical and humanitarian assistance using C-17 aircraft two months ago when floods ravaged the country. Teams of doctors and rescuers from Qatar are still active in the flood-affected districts, he added.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk