Commander of Bahrain National Guard calls on PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD, March 13 (SABAH): General Sheikh Mohammad Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Commander of the National Guard of the Kingdom of Bahrain called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to convey the greetings of Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain and Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain.

The Prime Minister warmly welcomed General Sheikh Mohammad to Pakistan and thanked the Bahrain leadership for their messages of felicitations on his re-election as Prime Minister.

He said Pakistan and Bahrain enjoyed longstanding brotherly relations. The two countries had excellent defence cooperation, and the visit of His Highness would enhance these relations even further. On trade, the Prime Minister stated that once the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement would come into effect, the existing bilateral trade volume of USD 1 billion per annum had the potential to  enhance manifold.

The Prime Minister referred to the King Hamad Nursing Hospital that was under construction in Islamabad. He said this flagship project was His Majesty’s gift to the people of Pakistan.

Recalling the visit of His Majesty in 2014, the Prime Minister said Pakistan looked forward to hosting the King of Bahrain once again in the near future. In response, General Sheikh Mohammed extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Bahrain at his earliest convenience.

The situation in Gaza was also discussed and both sides called for an immediate ceasefire and ensuring urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to the innocent Palestinians, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.