Pakistan, US engagements beneficial for both countries: Aizaz

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan and the US had begun to engage at multiple levels to overcome the stalemate in their relations following the US’s announcement of its new strategy in South Asia.

He was speaking as the chief guest at an event called ‘Ambassador Insider Series’ organized by a US monthly newspaper, The Washington Diplomat. A number of former and present ambassadors, congress and senate staffers, state department officials and prominent media persons were present on the occasion.

He said that the two countries had greatly benefitted whenever they had worked together in the past and expressed hopes that the current misgivings following President Trump’s announcement of the new South Asia strategy would soon be cleared.

He said that the present misunderstandings could be removed through positive and constructive engagements at both political and diplomatic levels.

Bilateral visits of dignitaries and their meetings had paved the way for engagement between the two countries, especially the ones between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and US Vice President Mike Pence, and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhamad Asif and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, he said. Tillerson is also expected to visit Islamabad soon, he added.

Chaudhry further said that Pakistan greatly valued its relationship with the US, which spanned over 7 decades, and that it would continue to work with the US in the war against terror. He said that although the two countries’ relationships had seen many ups and downs over the years, they had benefitted greatly whenever they had worked together.

The ambassador said that there were lessons to be learnt from the successes of Pakistan in the war against terror. “We have reversed the tide of terrorism only after rendering tremendous sacrifices, in terms of lives and resources, in fighting the menace effectively,” he said. He commented that the economic status of Pakistan had significantly improved following improvements in the security situation, especially in the last four years.

In response to a question, Chaudhry said that it was unfair to see Pakistan through the narrow prism of Afghanistan. Pakistan was home to over 200 million people and blessed with abundant natural resources. It had played and would continue to play a most significant part in the war against terror.

He also remarked, while reiterating Pakistan’s firm support of the international community’s efforts of bringing peace to Afghanistan, that Afghanistan’s problem was not a military problem and therefore there was no military solution to it. A holistic regional approach aimed at finding a political solution was required and Pakistan would play its due role in all such efforts, he said.