Pakistan holds first Republic Day parade in seven years

ISLAMABAD: The highly-anticipated joint military parade by the armed forces of Pakistan took place today in Islamabad after a gap of seven years, to commemorate the historic Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940 - a day which marks the the birth of a separate state for Muslims.

Personnel from all three services, Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force, are participating in the parade.

Guptill, not history counts for New Zealand: McCullum

AUCKLAND: Martin Guptill’s double ton was the fillip New Zealand needed heading into their World Cup semi-final against South Africa, according to captain Brendon McCullum.

At stake is an historic first appearance in the World Cup final with neither side having progressed past the semis in the past.

New Zealand were forced to hastily rearrange their squad Monday after Adam Milne was ruled out with a left heel injury and Matt Henry was rushed up to Auckland.

But McCullum said they remained confident without their express bowler and the presence of Guptill after his colossal 237 not out against West Indies was an inspiration to the rest of the team.

New Zealand have won four of their six previous World Cup clashes against South Africa, including the last three, but McCullum said history had no bearing on this battle for the right to play the winner of the second semi between India and Australia, taking place in Sydney on Thursday.

Much more relevant was the boost to his side of Guptill’s return to form.

“To see it in such a crunch game as well and still display the same game plan which he trained so hard for was confirmation that obviously it can be done and that will flow on in terms of confidence for the rest of the squad,” he said.

Guptill came into the tournament with a string of disappointing scores including two golden ducks against Sri Lanka but has progressively played his way into form.

His last three innings have been 57, 105 and 237 and McCullum expected more.

“The game throws up its ups and its downs but you need to be able to remain reasonably level and go about your work.

“The way that ‘Gup’ was able to back up a really good hundred against Bangladesh and then to be able to turn in such an amazing performance as he did the other day shows that he certainly possesses those characteristics.

“He’s been a huge player for us in this tournament and I’d suggest he’s probably not quite done yet.”

Guptill’s record against South Africa, however, is relatively poor with a total of 115 runs scored in 11 matches with a highest score of 58 in Napier in 2012.

In five of his last six innings against the Proteas, he has been dismissed for single-figure scores.

McCullum indicated the loss of Milne could cause a rethink of the balance of their line up with weather and pitch conditions to be taken into account.

Mitchell McClenaghan, who stood in for Milne when he injured a shoulder before the Bangladesh game, offers bounce, veteran Kyle Mills brings in a miserly option while replacing Milne with Henry would be a like-for-like move.

McCullum did not expect conditions to be as they were when New Zealand ripped out Australia for 151.

“It was obviously really humid during that game and we saw some high quality swing bowling. Tomorrow is meant to be a little less humid so we probably won’t see as much swing.”

While South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has been piling the pressure on his side saying “no one can stop us”, McCullum preferred to take a more laid back approach.

While declaring himself confident New Zealand would make the finals for the first time he was aware it may not happen.

“The game’s meant to be fun. Go out there, express yourself, enjoy the occasion, put our best foot forward and we’ll see where the cards fall after that,” he said, adding the real pressure came with the huge New Zealand public expectation to win their first knockout match against the West Indies at the weekend.

“The way we dealt with the expectations of the last game and the pressure which that had in itself, that should hold us in reasonable stead,” he said.

“I expect the team that is able to handle the crunch situations the best will come out on top but I expect the margin won’t be far between both teams.”

DAWN 23-03-2015

India hoping Kohli will deliver against Aussies

India are hoping that their 'big' player, Virat Kohli, will deliver against Aussies when it matters most in their World Cup semi-final showdown.

 

India are hoping that their 'big' player, Virat Kohli, will deliver against Aussies when it matters most in their World Cup semi-final showdown.

By his own lofty standards, Virat Kohli has had a modest World Cup so far. But his Indian teammates all think the elegant stroke-maker will live up to his reputation as a big-match player when it matters.

And few games matter more than Thursday's semi-final against Australia. For Kohli, it's a golden opportunity to get back amongst the runs.

"I don't think he has batted badly. When he has got an opportunity he has scored runs," India's World Cup captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

"It's not that he has scored a century every time he has gone out to bat. But everybody relating his performance with the test series and expecting a hundred in every innings from him."

Kohli's lean run at the World Cup has been puzzling, partly because of his great record record in One Day Internationals and his great form this summer.

He has scored 22 ODIs, averages almost 52 from 157 matches in the format and is among India's best batmen.

He replaced Dhoni as test captain for India's last match against Australia in Sydney in January and scored four hundreds in the series and averaged over 86.

But his form in ODI has fallen away. He made a century in India's opening World Cup match against Pakistan but hasn't made a fifty since.

Known equally for his silken touch with the bat and a penchant for run-ins with opposition players, Kohli also found himself embroiled in controversy after swearing at a journalist over a story about his personal life.

The batting mainstay was censured by the Indian board for his ugly outburst against the travelling Indian journalist in Perth and advised to maintain his cool.

After his 107 against Pakistan in Adelaide, he has scored 46, 33 not out, 33, 44 not out, 38 and 3 and Dhoni backed him for a big one soon.

"I don't think there has been any poor shot selection. He is a dominant batsman who likes playing his shots when he goes in to bat," Dhoni said.

"It's quite difficult but at the same time I feel it is important to keep focussing on the process. It's just around the corner and big players always score in big games."

'World Cup is ours,' says AB de Villiers

AUCKLAND: After years of South Africa being lumbered with the “chokers” tag, captain AB de Villiers boldly declared the World Cup was theirs for the taking this time.

De Villiers was in a confident mood on the eve of the semi-final in Auckland against New Zealand with neither side having made a World Cup final before.

Ahead, lies a date next weekend in Melbourne with the winner of second semi-final between defending champions India and former winners Australia.

“We have a lot of confidence behind us. I feel the team is in a really good space at a really good time. We have a lot of reason to be confident,” de Villiers said.

“If we play to our full potential, no one is going to stop us in this tournament.”

“In a brief series at the start of the New Zealand summer, South Africa came out on top 2-0 before New Zealand won a warm up match days before the World Cup started.”

In previous World Cups they have met six times with New Zealand holding the edge 4-2, including the last three encounters.

However, de Villiers was not interested in looking back. All that mattered to him was how his class of 2015 performed.

“There has been a lot of emphasis on our past and South Africa not doing well at World Cups. I have gone through the whole package of emotions, fighting it, accepting it, then fighting it again,” he said.

“I honestly am not putting emphasis on that at all.”

“We know if we play a good game of cricket we will come out on top. We are that confident in our abilities as a cricket team.”

“We have been through a lot of hardship in the past with our World Cup games but we feel very fresh and are very excited for tomorrow.”

The semi-final may be a high-stakes game, and New Zealand have talked about the hours spent analysing the South Africans, but de Villiers was not concerned about the New Zealanders nor the injury that has ruled out speedster Adam Milne.

“I think it is a big loss for them. They will deal with it in their own way. But I can't go into it in too much detail because I can honestly tell you that we have been focussing on our performance,” he said.

“It would be silly to focus too much on the cricket they have played, because they have played really well. But not only that, I personally don't like to focus too much on the opposition.”

“I know that if we rock up on the day and play a good game of cricket we will come out on top.”

Philander for Abbott?

But de Villiers was pleased with the intelligence learned from having played at Eden Park when losing a World Cup thriller to Pakistan where South Africa were dismissed for 202 when chasing a revised target of 232 in 47 overs.

Learning the angles of the field, and knowing its history of low scores despite having some of the shortest boundaries in international cricket provided valuable information.

“I don't think anything over 230 has ever been chased down here in an ODI,” he said.

“So it's maybe not a bad thing to know those little things going into a semi-final and how to go about it, not to panic when you lose a couple of wickets early.”

“You can always find your way back on this field and keep fighting because you are never out of it.”

South Africa have declared a fully fit squad to choose from with Vernon Philander running freely during net practice and showing no sign of the hamstring strain that has limited his World Cup appearances.

De Villiers said the XI to play New Zealand has not been finalised but he did not rule out changes from the side that beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the quarter-finals, suggesting a recall for Philander at the expense of Kyle Abbott.

“It's really difficult, especially after a win like that last one. It's tough to change a team that played. But we might have to look at a couple of combinations that might strengthen our team.”

WC projections: India vs New Zealand for the Cup?

This is it. After more than a month, we’ve got our four semi-finalists: New Zealand, South Africa, India and Australia. Fittingly, it has to be said that the top four teams in the tournaments are here, though Pakistan may beg to disagree.

Halfway through the group stage, we stuck our neck out and predicted the quarter-final line-up. We got it quite wrong: things went topsy-turvy, Pakistan abruptly found inspiration over South Africa, and Bangladesh channelised their inner tiger against England. We duly ended up with mud on our faces and retreated with our tails between our legs.

So what? We’re back. This time, we’re trying to redeem ourselves by predicting the finalists. Last time, we erred too much by being conservative, this time, we’re going filly out on a limb!

New Zealand v South Africa

South Africa had Sri Lanka staring at them in the quarter-finals. The added pressure of never winning a knock-out match at the World Cup along with the recent patchiness in their form was also a worry. And yet, how emphatically they responded. The South African bowling attack finally came to the party, finally living up to their billing at the start of the tournament as among the best bowling attacks in the world.

New Zealand have romped through to the semis, playing a brand of attacking, aggressive cricket which has won them admirers from all over. There were initial worries over the form of their top order, but Guptill’s epic 237 will have quelled those doubts. McCullum still hasn’t fired in the tournament and South Africa will hope that they can keep him quiet for the semis as well.

The Key Men

Duminy and Tahir for South Africa. After the group stage, the main worry for South Africa was their fifth bowling option. Things came to such a head that De Villiers had to turn his arm over and the genius that he is, even picked up wickets. But Duminy’s hat-trick against Sri Lanka has settled the debate. Duminy has matured from just a tweaker to an intelligent bowler and adds a lot of balance to this South African side.

Before the World Cup, with the kind of quality in the South African ranks, it would have been scarcely unbelievable to think that Tahir would take more wickets compared to Morkel, Philander or Styen. But that’s exactly what’s happened: with 15 wickets, Tahir sits pretty on the list. Having struggled for long in their search for a spinner, South Africa have been richly rewarded for sticking with Tahir: he adds variety to the attack and will fancy his chances against New Zealand who still haven’t been tested by quality spin.

Ross Taylor for New Zealand. Despite New Zealand’s blistering run to the semis, Ross Taylor is one man who still has a point to prove. He hasn’t risen to the occasion yet in this World Cup and has watched other colleagues like Williamson and Guptill walk away with the plaudits. That run-out against West Indies will have frustrated him. As a player though, he can be just as overwhelmingly destructive as a Guptill or McCullum and he’ll want to remind South Africa of that.

Prediction: New Zealand defeats South Africa

South Africa will point out that New Zealand’s home advantage does not matter much in this game, as they’ve defeated the Kiwis in the last five completed matches they’ve played in New Zealand. However, New Zealand have looked in unstoppable form; what tilts the scales in their favour is that someone or the other has stepped up to the plate whenever required.

India v Australia

Maxwell fired the first verbal blow on Saturday as he said that he hoped India would remember their recent dismal record against Australia. India might, quite amusedly, ask him to check the records for this World Cup: India have taken all 70 wickets on offer in all their matches and haven’t even looked close to losing. Contrast that to Australia, who found themselves bowled out within 33 overs against New Zealand, fought a close match with Sri Lanka, and were clutching to straws during the middle overs against Riaz’s onslaught.

India don’t seem to have a weak link. Before the quarters, people spoke about their opening weaknesses; Rohit Sharma took that opportunity to blast off and silence a few detractors. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, before the World Cup, considered one of India’s best swing bowling exponents, can’t get a place in this team right now, despite being fully fit – testimony to how well the bowlers have performed for India in this World Cup.

Key Players

Mitchell Johnson for Australia. Enough is enough now. The group stages are over, the quarters are done and dusted and the world (except Indian fans) wants to see the old, menacing Johnson. He’s not been doing too badly, quietly picking up wickets in Starc’s shadow but this semi-final is the biggest stage to get back to what he does best: scare batsmen out.

Jadeja and Ashwin for India: Both have poor records against Australia. Ashwin averages 47 against Australia, compared to his overall average of 31 while Jadeja averages 46 compared to his overall of 32. India, though, will count on them to administer the squeeze in the middle overs; Australia don’t have a great reputation for playing spin and might find it easier to play Shami, Yadav and Mohit Sharma.

Prediction: India defeats Australia

History will say otherwise, but in a pressure match like this, history matters little. India has seen enough of Australia over the past few months and know the chinks in their armour. Australia have done well to get here but have struggled at times; India should be able to capitalize on those key moments.

So, will we see a India v New Zealand final?

Pakistan keen to settle all issues with India, including Kashmir: Basit

New Delhi- Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit today said that his country is keen to settle all issues with India, including the disputed issue of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue, and underlined the importance of both countries, working together for both peace and development.

Congratulating all Pakistani nationals residing in India on the occasion of Pakistan Day, High Commissioner Basit presided over an impressive flag hoisting ceremony at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, and said that the creation of Pakistan within seven years of the passage of the 1940 Lahore Resolution reflected the wisdom and tenacity of country’s founding fathers.

"Under the impeccable and sagacious leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslims of the subcontinent realized their dream. It was now incumbent upon us to make Pakistan a truly welfare state as envisioned by the Quaid-e-Azam," he said.

Referring to Pakistan-India relations, the High Commissioner underlined the importance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's vision of "Peace for development and development for peace."

He further said that peace was in the mutual interest of Pakistan and India and that it was now high time to normalize relations and usher in a new era of peace and stability, enabling the two countries to address the challenges facing our region and exploiting myriad of opportunities unleashed by globalization.

The students of the Pakistan High Commission School sang Pakistan national songs and presented tableaux highlighting the struggle for the creation of Pakistan. At the end of the ceremony, Summiya Basit, the high commissioner's wife, distributed gifts among the students.

A seven-member delegation of Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders attended the Pakistan National Day at its High Commission in Delhi. The delegation will also hold talks with Pakistani officials. On Sunday, separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met Abdul Basit. Farooq has called for India and Pakistan to expand dialogue and focus on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also maintained that the Pakistan government is free to invite anyone for the celebrations. "Pakistan should ponder as to how long this atmosphere of terror will continue. I want to ask Pakistan, how long do you want to keep the border red with terrorism? It must come to an end," Singh said.

However, the Opposition has hit out at the government for not protesting the meeting. "Whether it is Pakistan day or any other day, Pakistan has always used separatists and terror against India. The government needs to say whether it is right for us to talk to Pakistan under these circumstances despite their perseverance with terror," Congress leader Manish Tewari said.

PPP welcomes govt-PTI consensus

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has welcomed the consensus between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehrik-i- Insaf on the terms of reference (TOR) for setting up a judicial commission to audit 2013 general elections.

“The PML-N government should have accepted the PTI demand in this regard much earlier as the political stalemate adversely affected the business during a sit-in in Islamabad,” PPP Central Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo said here on Saturday.

He said it was the responsibility of the government to defuse the situation but it preferred to play wait and see game hoping the PTI and its ally would run out of steam to further press it for its legitimate demand.

“Such a thinking was undemocratic and short-sighted and, therefore, proved counter-productive at the end of the day,” he said.

Wattoo said the political deadlock inflicted irreparable diplomatic damage to the country because the visit of the Chinese president to Pakistan was postponed during which he intended to sign agreements involving billions of dollars of direct investment.

Sri Lankan president’s visit to Pakistan was also postponed due to this reason and the image of the country was tarnished in the world, he added.

Raiwind: One killed, 17 injured as passenger van plunges into nullah

LAHORE: A passenger was killed and seventeen others sustained injuries when a passenger van plunged into a nullah in Raiwind in Lahore, Geo News reported Wednesday.

According to police, the accident occurred due to tyre burst when the unfortunate van was enroute to Lahore from Changa Manga.

The mishap occurred near Ijtama Chowk in Raiwind where the vehicle fell into the nullah, killing one passenger and injuring 17 others.

The injured and body were shifted to a nearby hospital.

 

Security forces regain strategic heights in Tirah

PESHAWAR: Security forces have regained strategic heights in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency after fierce clashes with militants.

According to a separate report filed by Dawn correspondent in Landi Kotal, 24 militants were killed and several others injured when helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant hideouts in the valley.

The main targets of the air attacks were areas considered to be strongholds of the banned Lashkar-i-Islam militant group. The areas included Sadana, Maza Thal and Khyber Sungar. At least five militant hideouts were destroyed.

Sources said that in Tirah Valley clashes, one officer and six soldiers were killed and 30 troops were injured. The clashes broke out after militants recaptured Khyber Sungar Post near the border with Afghanistan.

The bodies of the troops who died in the clashes and the injured soldiers were taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar. The deceased officer has been identified as Major Gulfam who hailed from Kurram Agency.

The sources said security forces later regained all positions, including Khyber Sungar Post.

Pakistan hopes Modi’s visit will go beyond SAARC

KOLKATA: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Wednesday hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to his country during the next SAARC meet would go beyond SAARC issues.

“The next summit will be in Pakistan and we hope that it will be a huge success because all SAARC leaders will be there. We have already started preparing for that summit and we hope that Mr Modi’s visit to Pakistan will add more to it beyond the SAARC issues,” Basit said. The High Commissioner was speaking at an interactive session with the MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the Indian foreign secretary’s visit to Pakistan was very positive as the two countries’ leaders were able to interact after a certain gap.

Iran deports 46 illegal Pakistani migrants

Quetta- Iran has deported 46 Pakistanis for not possessing legal travel documents.
Iranian officials handed them over to the Levies Force at Taftan border in Balochistan.

Army to purge cities of terrorism at all costs

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Sunday reiterated that military operations would continue to eliminate terrorists from the urban centres and remote areas at all costs to bring peace and prosperity in the country.

He reaffirmed Pakistan Army’s determination to take ongoing military operations to the logical conclusion. The terrorists squeezed in isolated pockets would be targeted with precision for elimination, he added. The COAS made the resolve during his visit to Peshawar. He was briefed on security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa/FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), operation Zarb-e-Azb and ongoing operation in Khyber Agency which was making steady progress, said ISPR DG Maj Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa in his tweet on social media. General Raheel Sharif also visited Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar and met the wounded soldiers. He said the resolve and indomitable spirit of injured was highly reassuring asset for Army and the nation. Raheel Sharif visited Corps Headquarters Peshawar where he was briefed on the progress of operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists. He was also briefed on operation being carried out in Khyber Agency. Speaking on the occasion, the army chief said operation against terrorists will be taken to its logical end. The army chief also enquired about after the health of the injured army troops in CMH Peshawar.

General Raheel Sharif had last week said this during his visit to newly established National Counter-Terrorism Training Center Pabbi Hills that “we have resolved to clean Pakistan from all kinds of terrorism. Let’s join hands, Operations must continue fearlessly,” he said. The army chief said that “While we train to fight terrorist, coordinating intelligence mechanism is must to pre-empt incidents. 

Change of guards ceremony held at Mazar-e-Iqbal

Lahore- A change of guards ceremony was held today at the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal as nation observed Pakistan Day. 
During the ceremony, Air Commander Hamid Faraz and Base Commander Pakistan Air Force were the chief guests who reviewed the activities of Army’s contingent and also laid a floral wreath at the Mazar.

NA hosts first international conference of parliamentarians

Islamabad- National Assembly hosts the first International Conference of Parliamentarians of Pakistani origin today in Islamabad.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will inaugurate the conference. Parliamentarians of Pakistani origin elected to the legislatures around the world and members of the National Assembly and Senate will attend the conference. The objective of the conference is to project the democratic credentials of our common heritage and honour all those individuals who are serving as people's representatives.

Fifteen militants killed as Operation Khyber-I continue

Khyber Agency- At least fifteen terrorists were killed in an aerial assault by Pakistan jets in Khyber Agency today, as part of Operation Khyber-II.
According to security sources, terrorist camps were targeted today in Tirah valley. During the operation, several militants were also injured, while several of their hideouts were destroyed as jets pounded them.

After 7-year hiatus, nation witnesses Pakistan Day parade

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday held its first Pakistan Day parade in seven years, a display of pageantry aimed at showing the country has the upper hand in the fight against the terrorists.

Mobile phone networks in the capital were disabled to thwart potential bomb attacks, some roads were closed to the public and much of the city was under heavy guard for the event.

The annual Pakistan Day parade was last held in 2008 before authorities abandoned it because of fears it could be targeted as militants increased their attacks on the military.

 The military says the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is on the rack now thanks to an offensive waged against militant strongholds since June last year, allowing the display of martial pomp to be restarted.

The event, presided over by President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif, was held on a parade ground in leafy Islamabad.

The event comes just over three months after TTP gunmen massacred more than 150 people, most of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar, an atrocity that shocked even conflict-weary Pakistan.

President Hussain paid tribute to soldiers fighting militants in the restive northwest, calling them his sons and pledging to go to the front line to hug them.

No place for Hurriyat in peace talks, India tells Pakistan

India clarified on Monday there is no place for a third party in talks with Pakistan and the resolution of the issues between the neighbouring countries will be carried out by their respective governments.

“The government of India prefers to speak for itself. There should be no scope for misunderstanding or misinterpretation on India’s position on role of ‘so-called’ Hurriyat,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, according to IBN Live.

“There are only two parties and there is no place for third party in resolution for the India-Pakistan issue. Only way forward to proceed on all outstanding issues is peaceful bilateral dialogue within framework of Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration,” MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin added.

Akbaruddin’s statement comes on Pakistan’s national day and hours after  Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit claimed the Indian government does not object to his meetings with Hurriyat leaders.

“I don’t think the government of India is objecting to our meeting with Hurriyat leaders,” Abdul Basit said.

Five oil tankers torched, four drivers abducted in Mastung

QUETTA: Unidentified armed miscreants opened fire and torched five oil tankers on Monday in Kurdgap area of Mastung.

According to sources, they also kidnapped four drivers of the tankers.

Five oil tankers were burnt while three of them were partially damaged by firing.

26 couples exchange vows at Faisalabad mass wedding

FAISALABAD: Twenty-six couples became husband and wife at a mass wedding arranged by a social welfare organization here at Jaranwala area on Sunday.

The organization first collected applications for participation in the mass weddings from the deserving families and orphaned girls. Afterwards, a lucky draw was held and arrangements were made for the marriage of 26 girls.

Dowry of households items worth Rs125,000 was given to each bride with the help of philanthropists.

Expressing their happiness and contentment, the married couples wished the organizers well for their efforts.

 

Modi extends greetings to PM Nawaz on Pakistan Day

In a tweet posted on his official Twitter account Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had written to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to convey his greetings on the occasion of Pakistan Day.

Emir of Qatar arrives in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday received the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad.

According to the Prime Minister's House, Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir and Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi — were also present at the airport to welcome the Emir of Qatar.

All Service Chiefs and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee were also present along with Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Ambassador of Qatar to Pakistan.

A 21-gun salute and guard of honour was presented to the Qatari prince.

According to Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam, the Emir of Qatar, who is visiting Pakistan from March 23 to 24 on the invitation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is accompanied by a high-level delegation including cabinet ministers, Chairman of Qatar Airways and senior government officials.

The spokesperson said that the official visit of the Emir of Qatar will provide a fresh impetus to bilateral relations.

During the visit, the Emir will meet with President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest and both sides are expected to discuss ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields including energy, investment, trade, defence and manpower.

“The signing of agreements will further extend mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in various fields,” the spokesperson said.

Pakistan and Qatar enjoy close and brotherly relations. Qatar is home to more than 100,000 Pakistanis and their remittances are making a valuable contribution to Pakistan's socio-economic development.

It will be Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani first official visit to Pakistan as the Emir of Qatar. Earlier in 2010, he had visited Pakistan in his capacity as the then Crown Prince of Qatar to offer financial assistance of Rs400 million to people affected by flash floods