Andrew Dalgleish appreciates Gujar Khan’s beauty

Fauzia Younis enjoys trip to hometown

Islamabad: British Acting High Commissioner Andrew Dalgleish on Sunday appreciated the beauty of Gujar Khan, a sub-district of Rawalpindi.

Speaking to Newswire during his brief visit to the area, the envoy said that he was impressed with the attractive landscape.

“This is my first visit here. I really liked this place and especially the weather is also so good,” he said.

Andrew Dalgleish was introduced to many Pakistani-British people who were delighted to see the envoy among them.

Andrew Dalgleish mentioned the friendly and peaceful nature of the people of the area.

Thousands of people from Gujar Khan have migrated to the United Kingdom and has been contributing towards the UK’s progress.

The UK is home to the largest Overseas Pakistani community outside the Middle East, with the population of British Pakistanis exceeding 1.17 million based on the 2011 census.

British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom and also make up the second-largest sub-group of British Asians. In addition, they are one of the largest Overseas Pakistani communities, similar in number to the Pakistani diaspora in the United Arab Emirates.

The majority of British Pakistanis originate from the Azad Kashmir and Punjab regions, with a smaller number from other parts of Pakistan including Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Since their settlement, British Pakistanis have had diverse contributions and influences on British society, politics, culture, economy, and sport. Whilst social issues include high relative poverty rates among the community according to the 2001 census, significant progress has been made in recent years, with the 2011 Census showing British Pakistanis as having amongst the highest levels of homeownership in Britain.

According to the 2021 Census, Pakistanis in England & Wales enumerated 1,587,819, or 2.7% of the population.

Andrew Dalgleish was briefed about the services of the Pakistani-British to the UK and Pakistan.

The envoy said that UK-Pakistan ties had always been friendly and were growing with the passage of time.

Speaking on the occasion, Fauzia Younis, the head of the communication at the British High Commission, said she was happy to be back in her hometown. The British diplomat belongs to a village in Gujar Khan and proudly owns her roots.

Fauzia Younis said she would love to have more chances to visit her native town in Pakistan but her diplomatic engagements limit the number of trips despite being in Islamabad – less than an hour drive from Gujar Khan.