Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday has said welfare and resolution of the problems being faced by expatriate Pakistanis are among the top priorities of the current government. He was addressing an Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan Business Council in Dubai.

While speaking to the Pakistani business community in Dubai, the foreign minister said the government with its economic diplomacy has successfully attracted the world towards the business opportunities available in Pakistan and added that it is a matter of satisfaction that despite the ill effects of the global Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan through its economic diplomacy had achieved positive results.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi left for Dubai on a three-day official visit on Saturday. According to the Foreign Office, Qureshi will meet his counterpart, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other UAE dignitaries. The Foreign Minister will also meet the Pakistani diaspora and interact with local and international media.

"The Foreign Minister will hold consultations with the UAE’s leadership on all areas of bilateral cooperation including collaboration in trade and investment, job opportunities for the Pakistani workforce, and the welfare of the Pakistani diaspora. He will also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest. The UAE is home to the second-largest Pakistani community abroad," the FO said in a statement.

According to some media reports, the foreign minister's visit to Dubai is to hold backdoor talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. According to the Times of India, the Indian foreign minister will be arriving in Abu Dhabi today (Sunday). The two leaders will be at the same place, at the same time, however, it remains unclear whether the two will have a meeting.

It is pertinent to mention that both foreign ministers did not have a meeting during the Heart of Asia conference held in Dushanbe last month.