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ISLAMABAD – US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and CulturalAffairs Marie Royce Friday said the United States was Pakistan’s largestmarket, with bilateral trade topping 663 billion rupees this year.
“Whether it is supporting tourism and cultural industries, or advancingentrepreneurship and technical education, American-Pakistani connections inall fields will only benefit both our countries,” she said while speakingto the opening ceremony of international conference of Pakistan-US AlumniNetwork (PUAN).
According to a US embassy press release, over 200 Pakistani alumni ofAmerican government exchange programmes participated in the 2018 conference.
The conference, which runs through July 15, is focusing onPakistani-American partnerships in cultural industries, entrepreneurship,and international education while promoting shared values of tolerance andsocial inclusion.
Together with American Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Hoover, theconference was joined by hundreds of alumni, including Nazir Sabir (thefirst Pakistani to summit Mount Everest), attorney Ramesh Jaipal, andperforming artist Sheema Kermani.
All spoke about the transformative power of exchange programmes andpeople-to-people ties in advancing shared American-Pakistani goals.
Assistant Secretary Royce highlighted the conference’s goal to supportPakistan’s domestic growth and international trade.
“There is no group quite like the Pakistan-US Alumni Network,” ChargéHoover said. “The 25,000 members of this community possess staggeringpower. You have the resources, knowledge, and ambition to shape Pakistanand the future of the region.”
He also participated in the opening of an art exhibition featuring work byemerging Pakistani artists and prominent alumni of US-funded exchangeprogrammes. The exhibition was organized by PUAN, in cooperation with NuktaStudios and the Satrang Gallery.
The United States has a long tradition of educational, professional, andcultural exchanges with the people of Pakistan. The Pakistan-US AlumniNetwork, or PUAN, is the largest of its kind in the world, with over 25,000members of American government-sponsored exchange and English languageprograms.
Alumni include Pakistani business and community leaders, entrepreneurs,changemakers, journalists, and many more.–APP