Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek arrived in Pakistan late Tuesday on an official visit to promote bilateral ties and hold talks on a range of issues, including the conflict in Afghanistan, according to dpa. Topolanek, who was making the first visit by a Czech premier to Pakistan, was due to call on President Pervez Musharraf and hold talks with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other officials before leaving Thursday, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said. He was met at Islamabad international airport by Saleem Saifullah, the secretary general of the ruling Pakistani Muslim League (PML-Q). Topolanek was accompanied by his ministers of industry and trade and culture, senior government officials and businessmen. The sides were due Wednesday to discuss the Pakistan-India composite dialogue and Kashmir, the war against terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan, where the Czech Republic has around 150 soldiers, scheduled to increase to some 225 later this year. Iran, Iraq and the Middle East were also on the agenda, according to Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam.
