Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari met Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and Secretary General-Designate of the Developing Eight Organization (D-8), who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The President congratulated Ambassador Sohail Mahmood on his appointment as Secretary General of D-8 and noted the pride for Pakistan in having a seasoned diplomat lead the organization. He expressed confidence in Ambassador Mahmood’s experience to fortify D-8’s role and impact in the future.

Ambassador Mahmood outlined his vision for enhancing cooperation among D-8 member states, focusing on economic growth and collective development. He emphasized the organization’s potential in these areas.

President Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s dedication to D-8 as a founding member, highlighting the importance of the D-8 Decennial Roadmap 2020-2030. He stressed transforming agreed frameworks into concrete results, especially in trade, agriculture, energy, industry, transportation, and tourism.

Discussing the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement, the President pointed out the necessity of fully operationalizing the agreement due to low intra-D-8 trade levels. He welcomed the Protocol on the D-8 PTA Dispute Settlement Mechanism as a step to overcome trade barriers and enhance economic cooperation.

He also emphasized the need to boost people-to-people contacts within D-8 to strengthen cultural and historical ties. Institutional reforms were noted as essential for the organization’s long-term success, with hope that Ambassador Mahmood would align D-8 with global standards while ensuring fair representation.

President Zardari extended his best wishes to Ambassador Mahmood in his new role, expressing confidence in his ability to uphold D-8’s objectives and protect Pakistan’s interests.

Senator Sherry Rehman, Parliamentary Leader of PPP in the Senate, also attended the meeting.