LONDON, Feb 2: The Mayor of the City of London, John Stuttard, arrives in Karachi on Tuesday at the head of a business delegation to strengthen business links with Pakistan.

Talking to media on the eve of his departure on an 11-day regional visit that will also take him to Qatar and the UAE, Lord Mayor Stuttard praised Pakistan as a growing and important global partner.

Elected ambassador for the Square Mile City business district which ranks as the world's No 1 centre for international financial services, the Lord Mayor said: “And its financial services sector is a key part of this success. Pakistan is transforming into a service-based economy, with strong foreign investment, major infrastructure works and a sustained period of good growth.”

The delegation which includes representatives of key international financial service firms and institutions will also visit Islamabad and Lahore besides Karachi.

In Islamabad, the Lord Mayor will call on President General Pervez Musharraf and also meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

The Lord Mayor’s programme includes special sessions on financial services sector (eg capital markets and links with London), business training and standard-setting for financial services education - and special session on law and business.

The Lord Mayor will also visit VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) projects and the FLAME education charity.

In Karachi, he will meet Sindh Governor Dr Isharatul Ibad, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, chairman, Karachi Stock Exchange, Zafar Khan, Prime Minister's Finance and Economics Adviser, Dr Salman Shah, State Bank Governor Dr Shamshad Akthar and others, including business leaders.

In Islamabad, he will meet the Minister for Privatisation, Zahid Hamid, the Minister for Water and Power, Liaquat Jatoi, and Federal Minister of Commerce Humayan Akhtar Khan.

In Lahore, the Lord Mayor will lead a special seminar on business education at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and meet civic and business leaders, including the City Nazim Lahore, Mian Amer Mehmood.

The delegation includes leaders and representatives of the Lord Mayor's global "City of London -- City of Learning" initiative, the Futures and Options Association, the London Stock Exchange, international bankers and advisers, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Exeter University, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and the Securities and Investment Institute.

Lord Mayor Stuttard said: "London is a global gateway for all those who want to develop stronger links to international finance, markets and skills.

"Professional skills are hugely valuable to aspiring business people in Pakistan and around the world because they offer a career boost that is hard to beat - in effect, a passport to the growing global industry of financial services."

Lord Mayor Stuttard has launched the "City of London - City of Learning" campaign, backed by the British Council and UKTI, to link global centres with high-level professional institutions and universities/business schools in the United Kingdom.