Washington DC – Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C, held a virtual eventon March 22 2021 to mark the National Day of Pakistan. Derek Chollet,Counsellor US Department of State and Senior Advisor to US Secretary ofState was the guest of honour at the event.
Senator Chris Van Hollen [D-MD], Rep. Sheila Jackson [D-TX], Rep. TomSouzzi [D-NY] and Rep. Jim Banks [R-IN] participated in the event thoughvideo messages. Officials from the US State Department and the member ofthe Pakistani American community also joined the event.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan highlighted the significance ofthe National Day in reaffirming our commitment to the ideals and vision ofour founding fathers. He said that the new and transformed Pakistan wasfocused on economic security, with a foreign policy geared to deliver peaceand security for its people. Pakistan’s geographical location, demographicdividend, democratic orientation, rich human and natural resources andimproved security situation enabled it to become an economic and transithub and melting pot of global interest.
Terming peace in Afghanistan as an important convergence between the US andPakistan, he emphasised on working together to facilitate the peace processfor achieving an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive politicalsettlement. He also highlighted Pakistan’s peaceful overtures towards Indiaand said that the onus was now on India to demonstrate seriousness inpursuing peace in the region and create enabling environment for meaningfuldialogue on all outstanding issues including the core dispute of Jammu andKashmir.
Speaking on Pak-US relations, Ambassador Majeed Khan said that Pakistanlooked forward to building a stand-alone, broad-based and enduringpartnership with the new UD administration. He said that relationship drewstrength from key enablers including strong people-to-people ties, mutuallybeneficial businesses and economic linkages, shared values and principlesand common interest in promoting peace and stability in the region. Hestressed on further enhancing trade and business ties by building businessto business linkages between the two countries. He also praised the role ofPakistani-American diaspora and their valuable contributions towardsproviding a solid foundation for a strong Pakistan-US partnership.
Derek Chollet, Counsellor US Department of State and Senior Advisor to theUS Secretary of State, extended felicitations on behalf of the US Secretaryof State and the American people on the National Day of Pakistan.
He said that US government looked forward to close cooperation withPakistan to address common challenges, including ending the long conflictin Afghanistan, defeating the scourge of terrorism; combating the COVID-19pandemic; addressing climate change and deepening bilateral trade andinvestment ties.
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Chollet also highlighted the importance of a peaceful, stable andprosperous Afghanistan for the US and Pakistan. He said that closecooperation on ending the war in Afghanistan and fighting the scourge ofterrorism was the way forward to unlock the true potential of Pakistan-USpartnership.
Senator Chris Van Hollen in his video message said that the people ofPakistan and the US shared common aspirations based on guiding principlesof fraternity, equality and liberty envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah. He highlighted the importance of US-Pakistan cooperation to achievea negotiated settlement in Afghanistan, which fully respects the rights ofall Afghans.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Chairperson of Congressional Pakistan Caucus, saidthat Pakistan and the US had been longstanding friends and partners sharingdemocratic values as well as aspirations of our peoples to lead betterlives and build a peaceful and prosperous world. She recalled the visit ofPrime Minister Imran Khan to the US in July 2019 that strengthened closepartnership between the two countries and looked forward to the opportunityto host him again in Washington.
Rep. Tom Souzzi, Co-Chair of Pakistan Causcus, and Rep. Jim Banks laudedthe contributions of Pakistani-American diaspora, particularly medicalprofessionals and healthcare workers, for helping the communities in the USduring the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event was live streamed on the Embassy’s social media platforms.
