President Asif Ali Zardari — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Myanmar on Tuesday for two days of talks and a meeting with veteran democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

He will hold talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein on upgrading relations, and promoting economic and trade cooperation, and make a special visit to Yangoon to meet Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, his office said.

Suu Kyi is playing an increasingly important role in Myanmar since her release from house arrest just days after elections in 2010 following half a century of military domination.

Zardari's own relations with Pakistan's military are increasingly tense over allegations that a secret memo was written at his behest last May in a bid to prevent a feared military coup after US troops killed Osama bin Laden.

Pakistan has been ruled by generals for around half its existence and Suu Kyi's past has resonated strongly with democracy advocates in Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...