Sahiwal Councillor welcomed in Rochdale!

Lady General Councillor - Kaneez Fatima from Sahiwal in Pakistan enjoyed visiting Rochdale, twin town to the town she represents in Pakistan. During a packed visit, the Councillor visited Wardleworth, KYP and enjoyed a tour of the historic Town Hall from Mayor - Councillor Jean Hornby and met Council Leader Alan Taylor.

Councillor Fatima said, "I have heard a lot about Rochdale from my brother Liaqat Ali - who is a Councillor in Manchester. Not least about the time when he built the Frying Pan that cooked the world's biggest pancake in Rochdale in 1994. Rochdale has many links with Sahiwal and it was a pleasure to visit the Town. I enjoyed meeting the Mayor, she was a delight and the hospitality at the Town Hall was very much appreciated. I was presented with a Rochdale plaque, which I will take back to Sahiwal and put it up at our Town Hall. I enjoyed my visit to this country and there are so many things to take back. In Sahiwal, one of my jobs is work with women on domestic violence issues and I also work to teach women some basic IT skills. I have also visited Paul Rowen MP in Parliament, where we discussed many of the issues that affect residents in Sahiwal and Rochdale."

Councillor Khalid Mahmood, who hosted her visit to Rochdale said, "We showed Councillor Fatima some of the regeneration projects in Central Rochdale as well as visiting KYP. She was joined on her visit by the retired Deputy Superintendent of Sahiwal Police - Mohammad Munir, who was here to look at the success of CCTV in reducing crime as well a journalist from Sahiwal - Mr Bukhari who was covering the visit for the media in Sahiwal. We are proud in Rochdale of having Sahiwal as a twin town and are delighted to share good practice with them. One thing we could learn from them is their quota system for female councillors, Fatima is doing an excellent job and I hope that our link with her town continues to thrive."