Vatican City: Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain represented Pakistan at the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis at Vatican City on Saturday. The two-hour long event was attended by global leaders and witnessed in person by an estimated 250,000 individuals gathered at the Vatican premises.

According to Radio Pakistan, on the sidelines of the ceremony, Chaudhry Salik Hussain met with several leaders, including former US President Joe Biden, who fondly recalled his visit to Lahore in 2008 as a Senator. The Minister also engaged with the President of FIFA, who praised Pakistan’s world-class football manufacturing tradition and expressed his intention to promote football in the country, adding that he looks forward to visiting Pakistan.

Chaudhry Salik Hussain held a bilateral meeting with the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, discussing the brotherly ties between the two nations. They also deliberated over cooperation in promoting peace and security as a means to development in the region. Additionally, the Minister met with the Minister for Tolerance of the UAE, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, as well as ministers from Russia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Following the ceremony, Chaudhry Salik Hussain visited the Embassy of Pakistan to review the status of services extended to overseas Pakistanis in Italy. He received a briefing on various initiatives undertaken by the Mission to improve consular services and expressed satisfaction over the establishment of direct and efficient linkages with the 300,000-strong diaspora in Italy. This visit marked his first to a Pakistani Mission following the hosting of the Overseas Convention in Islamabad.