Nepal-Pakistan economic agreement

Nepal and Pakistan have agreed to promote mutual investment in agriculture, tourism, trade, education and health sectors. Finance Minister Shankar Koirala and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar signed a memorandum of understanding to this extent at the end of two-day “Nepal-Pakistan Joint Economic Forum” held in Islamabad on Tuesday. As per the understanding, Pakistan has agreed to increase scholarship quota for Nepali students, and increase investment in Nepal´s agriculture, tourism, civil aviation and telecommunication sectors. Similarly, Pakistan has also agreed to provide training to Nepali officials involved in postal and health sectors to enhance their professional skills. During the meeting, officials of the two countries extensively reviewed the progress on implementation of the agreement signed in the meeting held in Kathmandu in 2005. Speaking at the meeting, Koirala said the agreement has paved the way for promoting bilateral trade in the coming days.