Minister of State for Interior, Shehryar Afridi attended the inauguration ceremony of the 12th edition of International Exhibition Milipol Qatar 2018.
The exhibition is an annual event held in Doha that focuses on Homeland Security and Civil Defence and is currently being held from October 29 to 31 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, said a press release issued here.
The minister’s visit to the State of Qatar is the first visit undertaken by a Pakistani minister after the formation of the new government.
The minister along with Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of the State of Qatar who is also the Minister of Interior took a tour of the exhibition and visited different exhibitors from around the world.
They were also accompanied by visiting ministers and dignitaries from other participating countries. The minister showed keen interest in exhibitors dealing in smart cities, civil defence and cyber crime etc.
The minister also had an exclusive meeting with the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar in which both discussed matters of mutual concern and positive role of Pakistani diaspora in the State of Qatar.
The minister expressed his desire to further enhance bilateral cooperation in all spheres with the State of Qatar.
The minister also handed over a letter of thanks from Prime Minister Imran Khan, which was a response to a letter earlier sent by the Qatari Prime Minister greeting Imran Khan on his appointment as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The minister also met with Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of the State of Qatar on the sidelines of the conference. The minister also met with a number of ministers and head of delegations from other countries.
The minister also met with Staff Major General Saad Bin Jassim Al Khulaifi the Director General of Public Security and the Chief of Police of the State of Qatar.
Afridi discussed issues related to Pakistani diaspora in Qatar. The Chief of Police of the State expressed his desire to meet and cooperate with Pakistani civil agencies.
The minister said a team comprising of heads of Pakistani civil agencies including FIA and Police may visit the State of Qatar shortly to find linkages and areas of cooperation related to internal security and share good practices.
The minister also met with members of Pakistani community residing in Qatar. He met with various segments of the diaspora in Doha including a women’s group and listened to their grievances and instructed the Embassy officials to resolve the issues being faced by the community members in Qatar.