London Mayor Sadiq Khan is all set to visit Pakistan and India later this year to promote cultural ties between the two countries, reports said.
The visit will also seek to boost investment and cultural exchange programmes between London and the sub-continent.
“This is a really important mission as there are so many areas in which London can work with its counterparts across India and Pakistan. Not only in business but in tackling some of the biggest challenges we all face – such as air pollution and climate change,” he said.
The mayor, whose grandparents were born in India before his parents moved to London from Pakistan, said he felt “a deep affinity for the subcontinent”.
“But what excites me most about this trip is that I know it can deliver real benefits for Londoners. Benefits in terms of business and trade, jobs and investment and in terms of cultural and technological exchange”, he added.
Khan will visit Mumbai, Amritsar and Delhi, before stopping in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The visit is the first by the mayor of London to both South Asian rival countries in recent years.
The London mayor will be accompanied by a team of British IT executives, who will meet politicians, investors and entrepreneurs from all over India and Pakistan to strengthen trade links with both countries.
“As someone whose grandparents were born in India, and whose parents moved to London from Pakistan, I feel a deep affinity for the subcontinent,” the mayor said.
“But what excites me most about this trip is that I know it can deliver real benefits for Londoners. Benefits in terms of business and trade, jobs and investment, and in terms of cultural and technological exchange.”
“I am passionate about showing that my city will always be open to engaging with partners from around the world,” the Mayor said.
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