(MENAFN- Gulf Times) "I have been waiting for you like a brother waits for a brother," Pakistan ambassador Shahzad Ahmad quotes Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif as saying to HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on his arrival in Pakistan.
The ambassador said nothing could describe the warmth with which HH the Emir was received in Pakistan better than these words of the prime minister.
"You can write a speech but it will never convey the same message of warmth," Shahzad told Gulf Times.
As the plane carrying HH the Emir and his royal delegation touched down at Nur Khan Airbase on March 23, the prime minister and his cabinet ministers were waiting for him.
A 21-gun salute and a guard of honour were presented to HH the Emir on his arrival for the two-day visit.
From the airport, the prime minister rode with HH the Emir in the same car and dropped him at the President of Pakistan's office for his meeting President Mamnoon Hussain. Later in the day, Sharif and HH the Emir met for a one-on-one meeting before a state banquet thrown in the honour of the royal guests, the ambassador said.
The two sides signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on widening their co-operation in the fields of education, culture and sports besides agreeing on enhancing the volume of bilateral trade and the number of Pakistani workers in Qatar.
"The reception at the airport was very grand as well as the state banquet but the most memorable moment for me personally was when His Highness went to Shakarparian in Islamabad to plant a sapling," the ambassador recalled.
"It was a wonderful moment when he stood next to the tree planted by his father and his grandfather and you could see the glow on his face. For him it was linking his past with his present, and also linking Pakistan with its past and present," Shahzad said.
The one planted by his grandfather HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani had become a huge tree. "And hopefully when next time HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visits Pakistan it would be sooner than this sapling becomes a huge tree. As it (the sapling) grows, hopefully the relations will grow. It is very symbolic," the Pakistani ambassador said.
It was the first visit of Sheikh Tamim to Pakistan as Emir - he had visited the country in 2010 as the heir apparent to offering financial assistance for Pakistan's flood victims. And it was the visit of a Qatari Emir to Pakistan in 16 years.
The one-on-one meeting between HH the Emir and Premier Sharif went longer than scheduled and it clearly showed that the two leaders built very good rapport. "They had a lot of commonalities that they found and you could see the dynamic was there," ambassador Shahzad said.
In the subsequent delegation level talks, the two sides discussed the current volume of trade between the two countries which stands at $300mn per annum. "His Highness made special mention that it was not good enough and we needed to do more and we will do more. We talked about investments in Pakistan, in particular in the energy sector," the ambassador said.
"We also talked about manpower. HH the Emir certainly wants to do more to encourage Pakistanis to come to Qatar but not just labour, the skilled workforce as well. And he said he would personally look into increasing the number of Pakistanis working here at all levels," Shahzad added.
The agreements signed incorporate co-operation in the field of culture, youth and sports besides the first executive programme for co-operation in the fields of education, higher education and scientific research for the cultural, scientific, technical and media co-operation between the two countries.
Prime Minister Sharif congratulated Qatar on getting the FIFA 2022 World Cup and expressed his wish to participate in making it a success by contributing in any way whether it is the construction of the stadiums or the service providers that come with it, the ambassador said.
"As you know the football used in the last world cup was made in Pakistan and we beat off a lot of competition to get that very complex football. So we certainly will be focusing on that besides other sports goods in our co-operation in the field of sports," Shahzad said.
The ambassador added that Qatar Airways will start in July three more routes to Pakistan including one to Sialkot, the industrial hub for production of sports goods.
Shahzad said HH the Emir's visit to Pakistan happened on March 23 which is the country's National Day and there were already quite a lot of celebrations taking place including the military parade after a gap of seven years.
"It was a big event in Pakistan and to follow that up with the royal visit by HH the Emir just added to the sense of the occasion. It was very well received by the people and by the media there," Shahzad said.
"It was also a very nice gesture from His Highness to be coming on that specific day. It made this National Day quite significant for Pakistan-Qatar relations. That made quite a big difference to us and we will remember that."
He said his reading was that HH the Emir and his delegation returned from Pakistan feeling happy. They were very pleased with the warmth of the reception, with the protocol and the importance given to this event.
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