'Pakistan wants expanded ties with Lanka'

Pakistan wants to expand cordial ties with Sri Lanka with an emphasis on trade and defence co-operation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. Gilani was talking to the outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner Wijeratne Bandara Dorakumbura, who paid a farewell call on him at the Prime Minister's House. The Prime Minister appreciated the high commissioner's role in strengthening Pakistan-Sri Lanka relations.

Gilani said Pakistan supported the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and expressed hope for lasting peace in the country. Daily Times