ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan met Acting President Mohammedmian Soomro in the Parliament House on Thursday and discussed with him various aspects of Pakistan-Canada relations. They expressed satisfaction that bilateral relations were going in a right direction and the flow of high-level visits had enhanced, particularly after President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to Canada in 2003, says a press release. The focus of the discussions remained on a number of bilateral issues including empowerment of women and investment opportunities in Pakistan.

Mr Soomro briefed the Canadian deputy prime minister on the socio-economic developments in Pakistan. Matters relating to functioning of the senate, process of legislation, working of the senate standing committees and role of women in the national politics also came under discussion.

The acting president said women were playing an important role in legislation as well as politics and that around 44,000 women councillors were also active at the local level.

He said the government was taking all-out steps to ensure better quality of life to the people. He said the process of privatization and deregulation had been successfully carried out with a view to transform the economy on sound footings.

Appreciating the economic assistance provided by Canada, he said Pakistan was an investment-friendly country and there existed vast scope for joint ventures in real estate, housing, information technology and various other sectors.