Envoy urges US to restore military grants

Ambassador Masood warns against strategic imbalance in South Asia

WASHINGTON:

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, has called for greater American investment in Pakistan and more trade between the two countries in an effort to further strengthen their relations.

Speaking at the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia, he urged US businesses to increase their investment portfolios, especially in tech-startups, renewable energy, agriculture and extractive industries.

"Pakistan is a big market for American manufacturers," the ambassador told a gathering of scholars, policy-makers, legislators, entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals.

“If you manufacture state-of-the-art products, you have 240 million consumers in Pakistan," he said.

Pointing out the strategic imbalance in South Asia and US tilt towards India, Masood Khan urged US government to follow a balanced approach. "The US’ heavy tilt towards India is accentuating strategic imbalance which is fraught with serious risks," he said.

The ambassador also emphasized the need for full restoration of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and assistance to fight the continued threats from terrorists.

In his remarks, Ambassador Masood Khan dealt with Pak-US relations, war on terror, re-calibration of their bilateral ties in the post-withdrawal period, Pakistan-India relations and the issues of regional stability. In this regard, he focused on the existing investment and trade opportunities between the two countries that provided new sinews to the relationship.

Tracing the roots of Pak-US relations, especially the US support during the initial days of Pakistan and the robust partnership of the two countries both in times of war and peace, the Ambassador presented a holistic view of the ties spanning over seven decades, saying the two countries are now investing in people-centric diplomacy.