Islamabad (TDI): In a a special ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadar on Friday, newly appointed envoys of Canada, Netherlands, Lebanon, and New Zealand presented their credentials to Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari.
The presentation of credentials is a formal ceremony that takes place when a country appoints its new envoy to Pakistan. The envoys are welcomed with a guard of honor, and get an opportunity to interact with the President.
In Friday’s ceremony, High Commissioner-designate of Canada Tariq Ali Khan; who is of Pakistani origin and is the first Muslim envoy appointed to Pakistan by Canada, handed over his credentials to the President.
President Zardari, upon welcoming the envoy, noted that Pakistan’s relations with Canada are long-standing and cordial, emphasizing the need to expand cooperation in IT, energy, and minerals.
Tarik Khan is replacing Leslie Scanlan, who was the high commissioner of Canada to Pakistan since November 2022. The Pakistani origin diplomat has a double masters from University of Toronto and University of Guelph.
He joined Canadian Heritage in 1999 and the Canadian International Development Agency in 2005. As a High Commissioner, this is Tariq Khan’s first assignment abroad. Previously, he has served diplomatic postings in China and Columbia.
The three other envoys who presented credentials to the President are Robert-Jan Siegert who is the Ambassador-designate of Netherlands, Abdulaziz Issa Ambassador-designate of Lebanon, and David Pine who is the non-resident High Commissioner-designate of New Zealand (based in Colombo).
The President extended best wishes to all four envoys and expressed optimism regarding their role in cementing good relations between Pakistan and their respective countries.
During his meeting with the Ambassador of Netherlands, the President underscored the importance of further strengthening bilateral ties, especially in trade, investment, agriculture, and education.
He appreciated Netherlands’ partnership in areas such as water management, climate resilience and sustainable development, and invited greater Dutch investment in Pakistan.
In his conversation with the Ambassador of Lebanon, the President reaffirmed Pakistan’s deep solidarity with the Government and people of Lebanon, strongly condemning Israel’s aggression against civilians.
He assured Pakistan’s continued support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and emphasized the need to enhance bilateral trade, security and counter-terrorism cooperation.
In his interaction with the High Commissioner of New Zealand, the President highlighted the shared Commonwealth heritage and democratic values between the two countries.
He underscored the potential for enhanced cooperation in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and clean energy and expressed appreciation for New Zealand’s support for Pakistan’s multilateral initiatives.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
