Soon after completing his visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached the UK. Apparently, there was no special agenda of the visit and no significant deals are going to be signed during this five-day tour of the Prime Minister. The basic purpose of this trip to London was that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was invited by his counterpart David Cameron to attend a ceremony to mark 100 years of the Gallipoli battle. The Gallipoli battle was fought from April 1915 to January 1916. During this battle, about 45,000 European soldiers were killed. Except attending this memorial ceremony, there was nothing serious that could be the centre of attention during the meeting between the two prime ministers. Even during the meeting, the usual talks were held regarding issues pertaining to bilateral cooperation as well as the regional and international situation, including the current situation in the Middle East. Both leaders pledged to improve ties and renewed pledges to continue the fight against terrorism. On his part, the British Prime Minister pledged to stand together with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. He acknowledged Pakistan's role in this fight and assured continued support to Islamabad. No doubt, the UK's assistance and cooperation in the areas of security and counterterrorism are necessary, but the premier should have focused on more urgent needs of the country that can be discussed and finalised during such meetings.
Although the visit was aimed at building better ties with the British government, yet it was a diplomatic waste of time. Why did Nawaz Sharif decide to attend this war commemoration? In the past, our heads of state used to visit the site in Turkey showing solidarity with the Turks in Çanakkale (the real name of Gallipoli). All of a sudden we have Nawaz Sharif laying a wreath at the allied forces war memorial for Gallipoli. In other words, it was an insignificant meeting that was aimed at wasting time and the taxpayers money. The prime minister should have some serious agenda to discuss or he should have sought investments for Pakistan's crumbling economy. He should have secured British support in the education and health sectors. Pakistan has good relations with many countries, but that does not mean that our Prime Minister should go to all these countries to greet them while spending the taxpayers money lavishly. He should limit such visits and pay more attention to the existing problems at home. The unnecessary visits by our premier are already under criticism by the opposition parties and this latest one would provide them another chance to question the government's priorities.
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