Pak PM Sharif on Bahrain visit

With Pakistan facing an acute power crisis, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today began a two-day official visit to Bahrain seeking cooperation in energy, trade and defence sectors with the Gulf kingdom.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Sharif will hold meetings with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa besides select ministers.
"The delegation-level talks and one-on-one meeting with the King will focus on further enhancement of bilateral relations in various fields, including energy cooperation, manpower employment, trade and investment, and defence," it said.
In his pre-departure statement, the Prime Minister said that relations between the two countries are rooted deep in shared history, faith, values, and culture and are based on mutual trust and understanding.

He expressed confidence that his visit will open new vistas of cooperation between the two countries particularly in the field of energy to help Pakistan overcome its severe power shortage.
He said Pakistan is keen to improve bilateral economic ties which are reflective of the fraternal warmth that exists between the two countries aiming to increase bilateral trade volume which currently stands at USD 200 million.