On Thursday, the billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met PM Imran Khan during his first-ever visit to Pakistan. Moreover, Senator Faisal Javed Khan shared pictures of the meeting on Twitter and stated that Bill Gates “greatly appreciated steps [regarding polio eradication] in Pakistan, the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) performance concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and initiatives such as the Ehsaas program”.
Bill Gates meets Prime Minister Imran Khan during his first-ever Pakistan visit. Discussion regarding polio eradication, performance of National Command and Operation Centre and Ehsaas program took place. pic.twitter.com/x72s9YalNi
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) February 17, 2022
Bill Gates Meets Prime Minister Imran Khan During His Visit to Pakistan
Furthermore, during the Microsoft co-founder’s visit to Pakistan, PM Imran organized a luncheon in Gates’ honor. The Prime Minister’s Office, which shared pictures from the luncheon, informed that Bill Gates was visiting the country on the premier’s “special invitation”.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI's luncheon in honor of @BillGates
Mr. Bill Gates is visiting Pakistan at the special invitation of the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/zSYNI6ddki
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 17, 2022
Gates also met Planning and Development Minister and NCOC head Asad Umar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan. The session was hosted to inform Bill Gates about the NCOC’s position and methodology, its accomplishments since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the coronavirus position in Pakistan as well as the non-pharmaceutical interventions by the forum to contain the spread of the disease. The billionaire philanthropist and his delegation were further informed about genome sequencing and coronavirus variants detected in Pakistan; the statement added.
“Gates took keen interest on various initiatives by NCOC, particularly smart lockdown and micro-smart lockdown strategy enforcement measures and Pakistan’s vaccine administration regime which enabled NCOC to formulate and implement a comprehensive Covid response.”
The Microsoft Co-founder Was Also Granted the Prestigious Hilal-e-Pakistan Award
In addition to this, President Dr. Arif Alvi granted the prestigious Hilal-e-Pakistan award to Bill Gates during a special investiture ceremony in Islamabad, honoring his support for poverty relief and healthcare. The report further added that the ceremony was attended by federal ministers, senior officials, and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Congratulations to @BillGates for getting
"Crescent of Pakistan" Hilal e Pakistan Award. A well deserved honor for your valuable, exceptional and extraordinary services fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.#Pakistan pic.twitter.com/tRriQQq6Is— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) February 17, 2022
Moreover, the famous philanthropist has held talks with Prime Minister Imran in the past on various issues and their possible solutions. In October last year, the premier insisted Gates consider providing a humanitarian contribution to poverty-stricken people in Afghanistan.
Read more: PM Imran Khan requests Bill Gates to participate in the Fight Against Climate Change
