The US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, has said the attack on the Salala checkpost in Mohmand Agency was unintentional and unfortunate, and preventing such attacks from happening in the future was possible only through framing of joint and trustworthy strategies. .
“US-Pak relations should be based on mutual interest and respect, as America is interested in long-term ties with Pakistan as a key ally the in war against terrorism,” Munter remarked while speaking in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Wednesday.
He said people-to-people contact was key to strengthening relations between the US and Pakistan. He said there was a need to create favourable environment for investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the rest of the region.
His welcome address, SCCI President Afan Aziz said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as frontline state had suffered a lot in the ongoing war against terrorism.
The US ambassador on the eve of his two-days trip to Peshawar, also met Governor Barrister Masud Kausar, Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Khan Hoti and academicians from Peshawar University.
In his address to the industrialists and traders, Munter said the US was keen to invest in energy and other potential sectors in Pakistan, adding that they had already extended assistance for Gomal Zam Dam project, which aimed at protecting floods and creating new opportunities for local people.
He dispelled the impression about the US aid for Pakistan, saying that the US had extended $2 billion of assistance since a decade to Pakistan. However, he said assistance was not being used to benefit deserving people. “The US believes to continue supporting Pakistan for rebuilding and rehabilitating from post-war and natural disastrous situation,” the US diplomat said.
The Pakistani leadership should focus on business, investment and especially issues of people, he emphasised
Salala attack was unintentional and unfortunate: Munter
