WASHINGTON – Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan,called on the US to reinstate foreign military financing and foreignmilitary sales to Islamabad during a conference on the future ofPakistan-US relations at the Wilson Centre think tank.
Khan also urged the US to revive its role in maintaining strategicstability in South Asia, warning about the perils of imbalance in theregion. The Ambassador clarified that Pakistan had consulted with the USbefore signing a deal to import crude oil from Russia and that there was nomisunderstanding between the two countries on the matter.
Khan stated that Pakistan seeks to forge strong ties with the US and makethem stronger, and that its relationship with China should not affect theUS. He urged both countries to opt for cooperation and competition ratherthan confrontation.
Khan confirmed that Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari wouldattend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Conference in early May.
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Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Elizabeth Horst, endorsedKhan’s views, calling the Pakistan-US relationship one of the mostconsequential for both countries, South Asia, and the world.
Horst said that the US was aligned with Pakistan on preventing Afghanistanfrom becoming a base for terrorism and was exploring cooperation oncounterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and anti-human trafficking
