ISLAMABAD, June 19: Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong will be arriving in Pakistan on a three-day visit from June 21-23. He is visiting the country on the invitation of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Mr Tong will be accompanied by Lee Yock Suan, minister in the prime minister's office and second minister for foreign affairs, home affairs minister Wong Kan Seng, manpower minister Dr Ng Eng Hen and other senior officials.

According to an official handout issued here, Mr Tong's engagements include meetings with Prime Minister Jamali and President General Pervez Musharraf.

The prime minister and president will host banquet and luncheon, respectively, in honour of the distinguished guest. The Singaporean premier will also visit International Islamic University, Islamabad, and Taxila Museum. He will also visit Badshahi Mosque and lay wreath at Allama Iqbal's mausoleum in Lahore.

The discussions between the prime minister of Singapore and the Pakistani leadership are expected to focus on identifying areas of cooperation in economic, trade, political and cultural fields. Singapore is scheduled to initiate discussions on a bilateral free trade agreement with Pakistan during the current year.

There is considerable scope of cooperation in several fields, including information technology, science and technology, telecommunication as well as joint ventures between the private sectors of the two countries.

Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Singapore, which is an important member of ASEAN. As part of its Vision East Asia, Pakistan is vigorously pursuing closer economic and trade ties with the countries in the region. The visit of Prime Minister Tong is expected to give boost to the existing friendly relations between the two countries.