UAE president’s Islamabad visit cancelled: PM Office

• Trip has been postponed to a later date, says PMO
• UAE president was expected to discuss bilateral ties during visit.
• UAE president was in Pakistan since Jan 25 on a private visit.

ISLAMABAD: United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s day-long trip to Islamabad has been cancelled due to bad weather, announced the PM Office on Monday.

“Due to weather conditions, President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to the friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan scheduled for today has been postponed to a later date,” said the statement.

The UAE president was scheduled to pay a visit to Islamabad today to discuss the friendship and cooperation between the Gulf state and Pakistan and ways to enhance them in various fields.

The UAE president arrived in Pakistan on January 25 on a private visit and held a bilateral meeting with the PM after he arrived in Rahim Yar Khan. He was scheduled to visit Islamabad today.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of the federal cabinet were set to welcome the UAE president at the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) Nur Khan Air Base today.

The UAE leader was to be escorted by PAF’s JF-17 aircraft to the airbase along with a 21-gun salute.

Later, the UAE president was to be given a guard of honour by the armed forces of Pakistan at the Prime Minister's House, after which he was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with PM Shehbaz.

UAE to invest in Pakistan

On arrival in Pakistan on January 25, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan dropped clues that his government is planning to broaden its investment footprint in Pakistan — as the country drastically needs foreign inflows to prop up its deteriorating economy.

"Be prepared, the UAE will make a huge investment in Pakistan," the sources quoted the UAE president as saying during a cordial meeting with the premier at the airport.

After receiving the UAE leader, PM Shehbaz, taking to Twitter, recalled his recent visit to the gulf country and emphasised that both countries would work on the understanding reached between the two leaders in various fields, during his visit to the UAE.

Taking to Twitter, the premier wrote: "Extremely delighted to receive my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed on his arrival in Pakistan, which is his second home. Building on our last meeting, we discussed ways [and] means to further strengthen our brotherly relations."