The first leg of the tour is in the UAE from where he would leave for the UK on September 17. During his three day stay in UK, he would hold talks with British authorities and it is expected that he would meet Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain.
On September 20, the president would arrive in New York where he would co-chair the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) summit on September 24 with US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The date and President Barack Obama’s participation were confirmed recently after Pakistan’s Ambassador to United States Husain Haqqani’s visit to the White House. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had originally mooted the idea of the summit.
According to the sources, the summit will affirm international support for Pakistan at a time when Pakistan is facing grave challenges of rooting out terrorism and extremism.
‘The extremism problem that we face was created in the 1980s when the whole world collaborated to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, so it is natural that the whole world should cooperate in dealing with the consequences,’ said a Pakistani official.
Several heads of state, who will be attending the United Nations General Assembly, are likely to attend the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Summit.
Those who have already confirmed their participation include the French president, the prime ministers of Turkey and Sweden and the crown prince of United Arab Emirates.
The summit will consider ways of bolstering the Pakistani government and ensuring stability in the region surrounding the country. It is also likely to signal international support for continuity of the democratic process in Pakistan under the current elected leadership.
Sources in economic and statistic affairs division said it is unexpected that Pakistan would get cash aid at the summit. However, Pakistan would table the Malakand development projects worth $2 billion in the meeting, sources added.
President Zardari would also meet US President Barack Obama during his stay in New York and hold talks with the Turkish prime minister on the sidelines of the FoDP meeting, sources added.
In his meeting with US President Barack Obama, President Zardari would discuss bilateral issues, demand transfer of drone technology and urge the US to ensure the establishment of economic opportunity zones in tribal areas, sources said. The war on terror and the recent operation Rahe-e-Rast against militants would also came under discussion during the meeting.—Online
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