WASHINGTON – US top official Alice Wells has send a re conciliatory messageto Pakistan days after news of suspension of military training of PakistanArmy in the US military training institutions was aired.
She said that the United States “continues to look to Pakistan to take aleading role in bringing peace to the region.”
Addressing a ceremony hosted by the Pakistani embassy here on Tuesdayevening to mark the country’s independence, Ambassador Alice Wells,principal deputy assistant secretary, recognized the significant sacrificesof the Pakistani nation and people in their struggle against domesticterrorism. “All of the countries of South Asia deserve to live in peace,”she remarked.
In an effort to bridge the gap that has prevailed over the last few months,the official stated: “we hope that momentum towards peace is building, andit is now up to all of us to seize this opportunity and achieve thiselusive prize.”
She underscored that the path towards peace was long and fruaght withchallenges but at the same time quoted the founder of Pakistan, Quaid eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah that ‘with faith, discipline and selfless devotionto duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.’
“The success of the region and indeed, Pakistan’s success, is deeplyimportant to the United States,” Wells said adding that the people ofPakistan and the United States share fundamental desires for stability andprosperity, which offer our countries ample opportunities to work togetherfor our mutual benefit. In her address, Ambassador Wells also recognizedPTI chairman Imran Khan’s statements and his first meeting with U.S.Embassy officials. “The issues are tough, no doubt, but together, I know wecan translate these shared interests into further action that achieves ourmutual objectives,” she stressed adding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeohas declared that the two countries will continue to look for opportunitiesto advance shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity in SouthAsia.
She highlighted the very nature of these shared interests of the twocountries that include “fighting the horrors of terrorism that destroylives and undermine regional security; forging economic andpeople-to-people ties across the region; and building a more peaceful,stable, and prosperous South Asia.”
“In this regard, a negotiated political settlement to the 17-year longconflict in Afghanistan is a critical shared goal, and an area where we allwould hope to see progress in the coming months,” she said.
Wells maintained that to further these shared objectives, the United Statesrelies on its relationships with the Government, businesses, and people ofPakistan. She also appreciated ambassador Ali Jahangir Siddiqi’s efforts toadvance the full range of bilateral relations.