ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived here on Saturday night to a ‘quiet welcome’ and will proceed to Lahore on Sunday morning to begin his one-day official visit to Pakistan.

Mr Blair will be received by the Punjab governor when he arrives at the Lahore airport.

His first official engagement will be a meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf who is in Lahore.

Their meeting would mark the third round of bilateral summit consultations as agreed in the joint statement titled ‘Partnership for Peace and Prosperity’ issued during the president’s visit to London in December 2004.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi will also reach Lahore on Sunday morning for the meeting.The talks would cover all aspects of bilateral relations as well as key regional and international issues. Indo-Pakistan peace process, Afghanistan, war against terrorism, Iraq, Iran’s nuclear programme, Palestinian issue and inter-faith harmony would figure in the discussions, diplomatic sources said.

After the formal talks, Mr Blair and Mr Musharraf will hold a joint press conference. Later, a joint statement will be issued.

In the afternoon, the British prime minister will return to Islamabad and call on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Their meeting will be followed by the signing of a ‘Development Partnership Agreement’ by virtue of which the UK development assistance to Pakistan would double in the next three years from 236 million pounds to 480 million pounds.

Later, the British prime minister will hold a roundtable meeting with Muslim scholars. The discourse would be facilitated by PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain and Dr Maleeha Lodhi.

The British prime minister is accompanied by his foreign policy adviser Nigel Sheinwald and a 25-member media team.

The visit signifies the growing partnership between Pakistan and the UK, and the frequency of contacts at the highest level to highlight the special and long-term strategic nature of the relationship, Pakistan Foreign Office said on the eve of Mr Blair’s arrival, adding that the visit would provide a significant boost to the sustainability of the momentum generated over the last few months.

“The emerging of this relationship has three features: enhanced British engagement in this region, the linkages of Pakistani Diaspora and shared heritage, as well as common threats and challenges of terrorism and extremism,” it said.