A seven-member US Senate delegation, led by Senator Mitch McConnell, met Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir here on Saturday. Members of the delegation included Senators Richard Burr, Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson, Kelly Ayotte, Pat Toomey, and Marco Rubio. Ambassador Cameron Munter also attended the meeting.
The Foreign Secretary briefed the delegation about efforts being made by Pakistan and the US to take the bilateral relationship forward, as well as exchanged views on counterterrorism and the regional situation.
The Foreign Secretary underlined that the global landscape was in a flux and that it was necessary for Pakistan and the US to work closely with each other to be on the same page on issues of mutual interest. He said that relations between the two countries had greatly improved in the last two-year and now there was much more clarity about the bilateral trajectory.
The Strategic Dialogue had been upgraded to the ministerial level and was aimed at laying solid foundations for a long-term partnership, adding that Pakistan needed sustained support by its friends especially the US to address multiple challenges.
In this regard, he urged the delegation to help expedite the disbursement of economic assistance under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Legislation; reimbursement under the Coalition Support Fund; Reconstruction Opportunity Zone legislation; and implementation of the Enterprise Fund for Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary said that Pakistan was a nation with great potential. The fact that 2.5 million people, who were displaced as a result of law enforcement operations in Swat and Malakand, had returned to their native lands within three months, spoke volumes of the country's resilience.
Pakistan was potentially a rich country and by encouraging public-private partnerships in key projects, the two countries could create win-win situations. He added that the recent floods had wreaked havoc causing unprecedented damage to the infrastructure and affecting close to 20 million people. Nevertheless, the people of Pakistan had been trying to overcome the destruction with dignity, creating new opportunities for development and progress.-PR
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