Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen relations with the United States (US) received an impetus with the renewed convergence of Islamabad-Washington interests in achieving peace in Afghanistan, Pakistani Ambassador in Washington, Dr Asad Khan, has said.
Speaking to the members of Pakistani community at the Pakistan Consulate in New York on Saturday, Ambassador Khan urged them to complement his efforts to deepen the “important” US-Pakistan relationship. “With the support of Pakistani-Americans, I hope to take our relations with the US to the next level,” he said at the well-attended meeting.
The Pakistani envoy said US and Pakistan have a common interest in securing peace and stability in Afghanistan. Both President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan were on the same page today in their desire to promote peace in
The US, he said, was one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a key export destination. “We definitely want to enhance these relations, especially in the field of education” said Ambassador Khan, who was making his first visit to New York after taking over his post in Washington in January.
About India’s aggression in the wake of the recent Pulwama incident, Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan, as a responsible state, had given a “measured” response, while stressing the need for dialogue to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries, including Kashmir.
Responding New Delhi’s provocation, he said the point that was made clear to the Indians was that Pakistan had the will and capacity to strike back.
The Pakistani envoy said the escalation of India-Pakistan tensions had brought the decades-old Kashmir dispute into the sharp focus of the international community prompting the international press to call for its resolution. There would be no sustainable peace in the region without a just settlement of the dispute, he said.
The Pakistani envoy said Prime Minister Imran Khan had given him special instructions to take care of the Pakistani community and he would work closely with them to promote Pakistan’s interests. He told them the government’s focus on human and social development, and that it had taken a number of initiatives in health, education, housing and employment generation.
The government was working hard to create macroeconomic stability and an investment friendly environment to attract foreign investors. In this regard, he said Pakistan had already outlined its new visa policy to attract foreign visitors including religious tourism.
The Ambassador also had a lively question-answer session with the community members. Earlier, Pakistan’s Consul-General in New York, Naeem Iqbal Cheema, introduced the ambassador and conducted the proceedings.
