PM seeks deeper ties with US

The new US ambassador formally began his diplomatic assignment in Islamabad with a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon after presenting his diplomatic credentials to the president.

Donald Blome arrived in Islamabad on May 23 but had to wait till July 1 to present his diplomatic credentials to President Arif Alvi in order to formally start his assignment. He, however, met the foreign minister and visited Karachi even before presenting his credentials.

Blome is the first full-time ambassador in Pakistan since 2018 as former president Donald Trump despite having good ties with then Prime Minister Imran Khan never appointed a full-time envoy to Islamabad.

The new ambassador takes charge at a critical juncture when the relationship between Pakistan and the US is under stress given the divergent interests. There have been concerns in Pakistan that with the exit of the US from Afghanistan last year and close ties with India, Washington may not seek a long-term relationship with Islamabad.

What added to the complexities was the allegation levelled by Imran Khan that he was ousted from power as part of the US orchestrated plan since he wanted to pursue an independent foreign policy.

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Against this backdrop, the meeting between Premier Shehbaz and the US envoy was seen as significant.

An official handout issued by the PM Office said Shehbaz congratulated the ambassador on his presentation of credentials and expressed the hope that the ambassador would devote his efforts to deepening and enhancing bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan.

In this context, the prime minister highlighted the historic, longstanding ties between the two countries and underscored Pakistan’s desire to further develop this relationship on the basis of mutual respect, trust, and interest.

“Recalling the depth and breadth of Pakistan-US relationship, the prime minister underscored that various dialogues established between Pakistan and the US have been playing a critical role in strengthening our bilateral ties in the areas of trade, investment, IT, climate change, health, and energy,” according to the statement.

The prime minister emphasised that, given Pakistan’s economic and demographic potential, the US companies needed to be encouraged by the Development Finance Corporation of the US to invest in Pakistan’s large market. The PM also stressed the need to have the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Ministerial meeting later this year and also hold the Business Opportunities Conference this year.

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the United States. The PM hoped that both countries would celebrate this historic occasion in a befitting manner, which would further deepen bilateral and people-to-people ties. He also stressed the need to have more exchanges at high-level between the two countries,” the statement noted.

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Ambassador Blome thanked Pakistan for its prompt and effective assistance in facilitating evacuation from Afghanistan. In this context, the PM emphasised that the deepening of cooperation between Pakistan and the US would promote peace and stability in Afghanistan and contribute to averting the humanitarian crisis in that country, which had been further aggravated by the recent earthquake.

While highlighting the rising wave of Islamophobia in India, the PM condemned the sacrilegious remarks by the two BJP officials about the revered personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that had deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims.

The premier also underlined that India was committing grave violations of human rights in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). While reiterating Pakistan’s commitment towards promotion of peace in the region, he stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. In this context, he called upon the international community to discharge its moral and normative obligations, while also calling upon India to adhere to the UN resolutions.

Shehbaz also conveyed his sincere good wishes to the people and government of the US on their 246th Independence Day.

Ambassador Blome thanked the PM for receiving him and reaffirmed the US commitment to further strengthen and reinforce Pakistan-US ties.