Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives in Lahore, meets CM Shahbaz Sharif

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrived in Lahore on Wednesday via the Wagah Border. The mayor was received by officials from the Punjab government upon his arrival and is currently holding a meeting with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Model Town. During his time in Pakistan, Khan will also visit Islamabad and Karachi. Khan has said that his trip seeks to “strengthen the links that exist between London and these great cities of Pakistan”. “I see my visit as an exciting opportunity to build on the ties that bind our cities and countries together for the mutual benefit of everyone — Brits and Pakistanis, Londoners and Lahoris, EastEnders and Karachiites alike,” Khan wrote in Dawn on Wednesday. ”As someone of Pakistani heritage, I feel a deep affinity with the country and I’m looking forward to going back.” Khan is the first ever mayor of London to make an official visit to Pakistan. He arrived in Lahore after a three-day visit to India. During his stay there, Khan had visited Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar and met with politicians and celebrities. Khan visits to India and Pakistan are part of the LondonIsOpen campaign — launched by the mayor— to show that London is united and open for businesses, and to the world, following the EU referendum. The trip is aimed at strengthening trade and investment links as well as promoting cultural exchange. Meanwhile, the chairman of Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi, Javed Afridi, also met the London mayor and presented him with a Zalmi t-shirt and a bat signed by team’s players.