The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived in Pakistan’s northeastern city of Rahim Yar Khan on a private visit on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the UAE’s president at Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Airport, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“During their meeting at the airport, both the leaders expressed their resolve to further enhance brotherly relations between the two countries,” the statement added.
Recalling his recent tour of the oil-rich Gulf state, Sharif emphasized that both countries would work on the understandings reached between the two leaders in various fields during his visit.
Al Nahyan, for his part, said that the “brotherly” relations between the two countries went back many decades and his father, who had immense love for Pakistan and its people, laid the foundation of their bilateral ties.
He further stated that he considered Pakistan as his second home and assured Sharif that the UAE would always stand by Pakistan, the statement concluded.
Although there was no official word explaining the purpose of Al Nahyan’s visit, wealthy Arab royals frequently visit Pakistan for hunting rare migratory birds, primarily in winter.
Every year, over one million birds migrate from Siberia covering a grueling distance of 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) in search of moderate waters. Although their ultimate destination is in India, they make stopovers at various lakes and water reservoirs in Pakistan.
These birds include houbara bustards, cranes, teals, pintails, mallards, geese, spoonbills, waders, and pelicans.
The sprawling deserts of Thar and Cholistan are the favorite hunting grounds for the Arab hunters.
Some argue the hunting safaris of wealthy Arab sheikhs create jobs and help improve the local infrastructure.
Source: Anadolu Agency