ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday held a meeting with a nine-member delegation led by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Dr Tanaka Akihiko, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its decades-long partnership with Japan and expanding cooperation in key areas.
Valuing Pakistan's seven-decade partnership with Japan and JICA, PM Sharif expressed hope that Tanaka’s visit would further strengthen bilateral relations, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
The prime minister said Pakistan had overcome difficult economic challenges through teamwork and that reforms aimed at sustainable economic growth were moving forward rapidly. He said government reforms had doubled public revenues within three years.
Sharif highlighted youth and women’s empowerment, technical training, skills development, employment opportunities, and the development of the minerals sector as key government priorities. He said the development of the minerals sector remained among Pakistan’s priorities and welcomed JICA’s technical support in the field.
Speaking about small and medium-sized enterprises, Sharif said reforms had been introduced at the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to make it a more active and effective institution. He said JICA’s cooperation with SMEDA would help promote small and medium-sized businesses and increase exports.
During the meeting, Sharif expressed condolences to Tanaka for the loss of life in a recent earthquake in Japan. Tanaka thanked the prime minister for his sympathy and appreciated Pakistan’s hospitality.
Tanaka said that JICA and Pakistan had a long history of partnership and cooperation, adding that the agency was prepared to further expand collaboration in health, education, urban and rural development, technical and vocational training, and industrial development.
He said cooperation would be strengthened in line with Pakistan's development priorities.
The JICA president said that Japan and the international community appreciated Pakistan’s efforts and leadership in promoting peace in the Middle East.
Meeting with economic affairs minister
A separate meeting was held between the JICA delegation and Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, according to a press release issued by the economic affairs ministry.
Cheema appreciated JICA's longstanding partnership with Pakistan and acknowledged its significant contribution to the country's socio-economic development over the past seven decades.
He noted that Japan's official development assistance to Pakistan, amounting to approximately US$11.7 billion, has played a vital role in advancing key sectors, including energy, transport infrastructure, industry, agriculture, water resources, health, education, and security.
He invited JICA to consider co-financing the Main Line-1 (ML-1) Railway Project, noting that the Asian Development Bank and other development partners are already supporting the strategic initiative.
Highlighting the growing importance of the digital economy, the minister sought JICA's support for upgrading internet infrastructure in rural areas of Pakistan to improve digital connectivity and create greater opportunities for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and e-commerce businesses.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tanaka acknowledged the importance of the proposed projects and said the agency would give due consideration to including the initiatives in its future project pipeline.
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