ISLAMABAD – Top US diplomat Alice Wells resonates longstandingdesire of Pakistani officials.
Alice G. Wells, the Acting US Assistant Secretary for South and CentralAsia, said Monday that she was looking to take the relationship betweenPakistan and the United States to a ‘trade based rather than an aid basedcooperation.’
The remarks resonated with a longstanding desire of Pakistani officials,especially Prime Minister Imran Khan. Mr. Khan, during a visit to theUnited States last year, had said that he wants a “dignified relationship”with America that is not constrained by the compulsions of aid. Pakistanand the US currently have a $6.6 billion annual bilateral traderelationship.
Ambassador Wells, who is on a four-day visit to Pakistan, made theseremarks Monday evening at a dinner reception hosted by former Senator EnverBeg. The dinner reception was attended by several retired generals,diplomats, and prominent journalists.
The senior US diplomat also appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoingpeace talks in neighbouring Afghanistan and said that “Pakistan and UnitedStates have seen unprecedented cooperation in the context of Afghan peacetalks.”
Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has played a vital role inthe Afghan peace process and reiterated on several occasions that peace inAfghanistan is very important for Pakistan and the country would continueits efforts to bring peace and stability in the region.
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The Taliban have recently agreed to a reduction in violence, and PakistanForeign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi last week had said that theannouncement by the group was an essential step towards a peace agreementin Afghanistan.
Ambassador Wells arrived in Islamabad Sunday after a visit to India and SriLanka and spent a busy day yesterday meeting with senior officials inIslamabad. She met with Abdul Razak Dawood, the Special Advisor to thePrime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industry & Production, andInvestment. Mr. Dawood, after meeting with the US delegation led byAmbassador Wells, said that the United States is eager to increase tradeties with Pakistan and identified agriculture as a sector where immediateprogress could be made.
Ambassador Wells also met with Brig (r) Ijaz Shah, the Federal Minister forInterior. Among other issues, both officials held talks about stoppingillegal immigration to the United States, streamlining the verification ofpassports and travelling documents.
