Pakistan Ambassador in Washington breaks silence over new US administration
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Pakistan is looking for strong bilateral trade and investment ties with the US under the new administration of President Joe Biden, country's envoy to Washington Asad Majeed Khan said on Friday.
In a media briefing, Asad Majeed said Islamabad and Washington are working together for peace in Afghanistan along with other nations. "The US also wanted that the Afghan soil is not used against any other country."
The comments from the envoy came after Joe Biden took oath as the 46th president of the united states after four tumulus years of Donald Trump.
"There is no question of ‘do more’ or ‘do less’ for us now, taking the right steps is the need of the hour," the envoy said. He noted that the new US administration would realise Pakistan's efforts when it comes to know about the ground realities.
"Pakistan is not looking for assistance are aid but strong trade and investment relationship," Asad Majeed stressed.
Meanwhile, Biden’s nominated defence secretary General Lloyd J Austin has termed Pakistan an important partner in peace and maintained that the US looking to revive military ties with the country.
"If confirmed, I will encourage a regional approach that garners support from neighbours like Pakistan, while also deterring regional actors, from serving as spoilers to the Afghanistan peace process," he said during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
The former US general said he would focus on shared interests including training future Pakistan military leaders through the use of International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan was ready to engage with the new administration, considering it an “opportunity to build a long-term, broad-based and multidimensional relationship”.
“Such partnership would require an institutionalized and structured engagement, based on mutual respect and cooperation,” the Foreign Minister said at a webinar on Pakistan’s priorities with the Biden administration, organized by Karachi Council on Foreign Relations earlier this week.
FM Qureshi expressed confidence that Joe Biden as an “old friend to Pakistan” would work towards strengthening ties between the two countries.
