Duke and duchess start tour of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: On their first full day of engagements in Pakistan, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to have lunch with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
William and Kate touched down at the Pakistani Air Force base in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, on Monday evening (local time).
The royal couple were expected to visit a governmentrun school in Islamabad yesterday, meeting pupils between the ages of 4 and 18.
They will hear about how pupils are benefiting from the Teach for Pakistan programme, a training scheme modelled on the UK’s Teach First scheme.
The couple will also join children from three local schools at the Margalla Hills, in the foothills of the Himalayas.
They will then travel to the Presidential Palace for an official engagement with President Arif Alvi, before meeting Khan at his official residence in Islamabad.
Following a private lunch with Khan, the couple will attend a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, where the duke is expected to make a speech.
In his address, William is expected to say that the UK will continue to support the Commonwealth country as a ‘‘key partner and friend’’ during a visit which hopes to strengthen ties between the two nations.
The fiveday visit, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will be their ‘‘most complex’’ tour to date, according to Kensington Palace, due to security concerns and political tensions in the region.
The tour comes amid heightened political tensions between neighbouring countries Pakistan and India over the disputed region of Kashmir.
William and Kate are the first royals to officially visit the Commonwealth country since the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the region in 2006.