British royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the people of Pakistan
Pakistanis are anxiously awaiting Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who will be arriving in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on October 14 for the first royal trip to the country in more than a decade.
This will be the first official visit to Pakistan of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The five-day visit (October 14-18) will be held under special security arrangements being supervised by the military.
The Kensington Palace said the visit would range “From the modern leafy capital Islamabad, to the vibrant city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside in the North, and the rugged border regions to the West, the visit will span over 1000km, and will take in Pakistan’s rich culture, its diverse communities, and its beautiful landscapes.”
Visit to strengthen close cultural ties between Pakistan and UK
The Duke and Duchess have asked that the tour allow them opportunities to meet as many Pakistanis as possible. They “will visit programmes which empower young people, and organisations that help ensure they have the best possible start in life” teh statement said, adding that access to quality education, “particularly to girls and young women is one of the UK’s top priorities in Pakistan.”
William and Kate, both 37, want to highlight the close cultural ties between the two countries as more than 1.5 million people in Britain have Pakistani heritage.
Royal Visit Pakistan schedule
They are expected to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Arif Alvi on October 15 after which they would reportedly travel to Lahore on October 16 and later to Chitral (Oct 17).
During the visit, they would meet a wide variety of people, including children and young people, leaders from government, business and the charity sector, inspiring conservationists, and well-known cultural figures and sporting stars.
On the eve of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s arrival in the country, UK envoy Thomas Drew has said that the royal couple’s visit would showcase how Pakistan is “a forward-looking country”.
Climate change is a key area of interest for them. The Royal Highnesses are keen to learn more about the climate change issues affecting Pakistan and our world, and to see how Pakistanis are responding and adapting to the effects of climate change.
Royal couple want to build a lasting friendship with Pakistani people
British high commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, said that he was “overwhelmed by the warmth, excitement and enthusiasm” in Pakistan regarding the royal visit. The anticipation, he said, shows the “warmth towards the royal family and fond memories of the previous visits” by royal family members.
In a video message on Twitter, he said that he couple would like to see breadth and depth of the country “the modern leafy capital in Islamabad, the vibrant city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside of the north and the rugged border region of the west”.
“They are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the people of Pakistan. I know they will get a very warm welcome” the ambassador said.
Full video message here: