Britain’s Prince William, Kate Middleton to visit Pakistan from October 14-18 – Pakistan

Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, will make an official visit to Pakistan from October 14 to 18, Kensington Palace announced Friday.

Prior to his visit, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend a special event at the Aga Khan Center in London on October 2, which will be organized by Prince Karim Aga Khan.

William and Kate's visit to Pakistan was first announced at the end of June. It is the first real trip to the country in more than a decade.

The royal couple's visit, requested by the Office of Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth of Great Britain, shows London's renewed interest in Pakistan.

Pakistan had welcomed the announcement of the visit, and its ambassador to Britain, Nafees Zakaria, tweeted: “The next royal visit reflects the importance that the United Kingdom attributes to Pakistan. Both countries enjoy historical ties and want to strengthen them even more. "

The visit comes 13 years after Charles and Camilla, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwell, toured the country in 2006.

But Pakistan still vividly remembers Princess Diana's visit in 1996.

He traveled to Islamabad, to the picturesque areas of the north and to Lahore, where he was received by the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, the current prime minister.

Diana, who was friends with Imran Khan, also attended a fundraising event at her Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital.

Britain is home to more than one million people of Pakistani origin, which makes it the largest Pakistani diaspora in Europe.

Bilateral trade was worth almost $ 4 billion in 2017, and the United Kingdom is currently the third largest source of foreign investment in Pakistan after China and the Netherlands, according to Britain's International Trade Department.

British Airways also landed in Pakistan earlier this year, on a major vote of confidence from a Western airline, after suspending operations due to security fears over a decade ago.