Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has undertaken 14 official visits to nine countries including India, China and the US, during the troubled 18-months of his government, the Parliament has been told.
These numbers were presented before the National Assembly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a question asked by Parveen Masood Bhatti of the ruling PML-N.
Bhatti wanted to inquire the results and the benefits of the visits abroad by the Prime Minister so far.
There was no mention of the private visits of Sharif to Saudi Arabia and the UK since the question pertained only to his official visits, the Dawn reported.
According to the information, the Prime Minister has undertaken three visits each to the US and China, two visits to Turkey and one visit each to India, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Thailand.
Sharif has visited New Delhi in May this year to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the Indian Prime Minister.
The details do not mention the recent visit of the Prime Minister to the UK to attend an international conference on Afghanistan.
Sharif has been facing immense criticism from his opponents, particularly Imran Khan and his supporters, for his alleged "extravagance" on the foreign trips amidst multiple domestic crisis and challenges at home.
The cricketer-turned-politician has also lambasted Prime Minister for taking his family members on official foreign trips.
Earlier this year in May, it was reported that Sharif has set a unique record during his tenure by becoming the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to make the most number of foreign visits in his first year in power.
