Pakistan said it sought a broad-based, long term and sustainable relationship with the United States for the promotion of economic cooperation and regional peace.

In a meeting with United States’ Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi said a regular and comprehensive dialogue between the two governments was important to promote bilateral ties and to secure mutual interests.

He said both the United States and Pakistan shared an understanding of Afghanistan.

FM Qureshi expressed the confidence the new government in Kabul will work for peace and stability as well as for the betterment of its people. He further noted a representative and broad-based Taliban government could be a trustworthy partner for the international community.

He said the international community should positively engage with Afghanistan and provide humanitarian and financial assistance and resources to it. He stressed concrete steps should be taken to build a sustainable economy in Afghanistan and address the difficulties of the Afghan people.

Pointing to the gross rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir during the meeting, FM Qureshi called for the resolution of the longstanding dispute to secure durable peace and stability in the South Asian region.

Sherman expressed her deep grief and sorrow over the loss of life and material in the Thursday earthquake in Balochistan.

During the meeting, both leaders discussed bilateral issues and the changing situation in the region. They also held talks on economic cooperation, trade and the security situation in Afghanistan.

As per sources, Sherman appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to evacuate foreigners from Afghanistan and the help it extended to refugees from that country.

It is pertinent to note that Sherman, after Central Intelligence Agency chief William J. Burns, is one of the first high-level officials under President Joe Biden to visit Pakistan — and after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an opinion piece published last month called his country a “convenient scapegoat.”

“In Afghanistan, the lack of legitimacy for an outsider’s protracted war was compounded by a corrupt and inept Afghan government, seen as a puppet regime without credibility, especially by rural Afghans,” he wrote, elaborating on themes in his address to the UN General Assembly.