Zardari to have Iftar with US vice president

Published July 22, 2014
File photo shows US Vice President Joe Biden (left) sharing a laugh with former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad.—Reuters/File photo
File photo shows US Vice President Joe Biden (left) sharing a laugh with former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad.—Reuters/File photo

WASHINGTON: Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is going to have an Iftar dinner with US Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

He reached Washington on Sunday evening and was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani.

This was the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former ruler was given full diplomatic protocol by a Pakistani ambassador.

   "Political witch-hunting should come to an end," says Tariq Fatemi
"Political witch-hunting should come to an end," says Tariq Fatemi

Zardari’s arrival was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi at a think tank here in Washington.

He said that the government had decided to set a precedent by sending the ambassador to receive Zardari, adding that it was time that “political witch-hunting should come to an end”.

Fatemi is currently on an official visit to the US from the July 21 to 28 during which he is scheduled to visit senior officials of the State Department, Defence Department and the White House

Fatemi to leave for US today on official visit

He will be exchanging views on bilateral relations with top US officials, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office told Dawn earlier today.

On July 28, Fatemi will also participate in a UN Security Council debate in New York on “United Nations Peacekeeping: Regional Partnership and its Evolution”.

Opinion

Editorial

A turbulent 2023
Updated 12 May, 2024

A turbulent 2023

Govt must ensure judiciary's independence, respect for democratic processes, and protection for all citizens against abuse of power.
A moral victory
12 May, 2024

A moral victory

AS the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on Friday in favour of granting Palestine greater rights at the...
Hope after defeat
12 May, 2024

Hope after defeat

ON Saturday, having fallen behind Japan in the first quarter of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final, Pakistan showed...
Taxing pensions
Updated 11 May, 2024

Taxing pensions

Tax reforms have failed to deliver because of distortions created by the FBR bureaucracy through SROs, apparently for personal gains.
Orwellian slide
11 May, 2024

Orwellian slide

IN recent years, Pakistan has made several attempts at introducing an overarching mechanism through which to check...
Terror against girls
11 May, 2024

Terror against girls

ONCE again, the ogre of terrorism is seeking the sacrifice of schoolgirls. On Wednesday, just days after the...