LAHORE: Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said that the passage of sister-state status for Punjab by the California state assembly will open new vistas of cooperation in commerce, trade, education and cultural relations.
The governor said the establishment of a sister-state relationship between Punjab and California is a great achievement of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on the diplomatic front, adding that his efforts during the visit in May last year to the United States had borne fruit.
The resolution, ACR 104, which was tabled by member Chris Holden, read: “The sister-state status will elevate commonalities and similarities between Punjab and California. Punjab’s capital Lahore is a cultural, historic, economic and cosmopolitan center of Pakistan where country’s cinema industry and much of the fashion industry are based much like the great Los Angeles in our state”.
Sharing a video of the proceedings of the California state assembly in a tweet, Governor Punjab thanked the members of the state assembly besides making special mention of the Democratic party member Dr. Asif Mahmood, an overseas Pakistani who rendered invaluable efforts towards the sister-states relationship.
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Acknowledging the role of Overseas Pakistanis in the development and stability of the country, he said the PTI government stands by them. He added the role of the Overseas Pakistani Dr Asif Mahmood was instrumental in this development.
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar expressed the hope that California will also cooperate with the Punjab government for reforms in agriculture, health, higher education and other sectors. He said delegations from Punjab will soon visit California to discuss future course of action, adding that cooperation across various sectors will be beneficial to both Punjab and California.
Sarwar said under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan has been moving forward on the diplomatic front and international organisations are now acknowledging the country’s economic progress despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
