WASHINGTON: Pa
kistan’s Amba
ssador to the United States, Aizaz Chaudhry while describing Pa
kistan’s relationship with the US as
“tremendously important” said that the state sought to have a broad-based, sustainable relationship with the United States
Speaking at the Amba
ssador Series Programme organised by the World Affairs Council, Chaudhry said
“whenever Pa
kistan and the US worked together in the past, both the countries benefited and it had yielded positive results.”
Responding to a question on Afghanistan, the amba
ssador said peace in the region was
“top priority”, stressing that
“a stable, prosperous and developed Afghanistan is not only in the favour of Pa
kistan but the entire region.” Highlighting the United State’s massive investment in the country, Chaudhry urged the US to strengthen Afghan National Security Forces.
Dwelling further on the issue, the amba
ssador emphasised that while Pa
kistan was often blamed for the failure in Afghanistan, it was not true, and that not all of the problems were related to terrorism.
“Pa
kistan cannot be made a scapegoat,” he said.
“There is no military solution to the Afghanistan issue. A comprehensive political strategy is required.”
The amba
ssador reiterated Pa
kistan’s commitment to eliminating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, clarifying that the sovereign would never allow its soil to be used against any other country and expected that no other country would allow anyone to operate from there against Pa
kistan either.
When asked about Pa
kistan’s relations with India, Chaudhry revealed that India had suspended the dialogue process and deteriorated bil
ateral ties.
“Pa
kistan is ready for a dialogue with India whenever it is ready,” he said, adding that terrorism was a
“common enemy” that needed
cooperation from both countries to be defeated.
On the lingering issue of Kashmir, he stated that Pa
kistan would continue to support innocent Kashmiris diplomatically, morally and politically.
“India is using force and committing horrendous human rights violations, which breeds hatred among Kashmiris against Indian occupation forces. Indian occupation forces have blinded approximately 1000 Kashmiris using pellet guns.”
Speaking on CPEC and China’s One Belt, One Road, Chaudhry said that Pa
kistan’s relations with China were not a
“zero sum game” for any other country including the US.
“Pa
kistan wants to have a broad-based, mutually beneficial relationship with China and the US at the same time,” he stressed.
The US is Pa
kistan’s largest trading partner with deep ties in fields including education, health, counter-terrorism and defence. Almost 50, 000 Pa
kistani physicians are working in the US while a diaspora of more than a million people living in the US makes a bridge between the two countries. The amba
ssador underscored the need to enhance
cooperation in those areas that were lagging behind.
Chaudhry apprised the audience about the economic turnaround witnessed by Pa
kistan in recent years, adding that the perceptions about Pa
kistan were lagging behind the reality of today’s Pa
kistan. He said the economic fundamentals in the country were moving upwards because of remarkable improvement in law and order situation while claiming that militant incidents had reduced significantly.