ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani has conveyed to a senior American diplomat that Pakistan is “doing its best” to avoid getting into a conflict or bloc politics.“
He shared these views in a meeting with Zachary Harkenrider, the United States Embassy’s Political Counsellor here on Monday.
“We are focusing on peaceful development, and doing our best to avoid getting into a conflict or bloc politics. Our focus is on geo-economics rather than geopolitics,” an official statement quoted Gilani as having said in the meeting.
Gilani emphasised Pakistan’s role in regional peace including efforts to facilitate stability in Afghanistan, and support ongoing dialogue for peace and security in South Asia. Peace in the region would have a lasting impact on global peace and stability, the chairman Senate said.
“We want to have better and constructive relations with all regional countries despite bilateral challenges that afflict the region,” said the Senate chief.
He said that Pakistan’s relations with the US are an important element of its foreign policy. “We have a longstanding and broad-based relationship with the US. We are desirous to deepen and broaden this relationship and to continue working closely with the US to promote regional and international peace and stability,” Gilani said.
The chairman Senate also expressed the desire to work with the US on diverse areas including climate change, mitigation and adaptation, energy transition, water management, climate-smart agriculture biodiversity and waste management. He said that the US investment in different sectors would be more productive for Pakistani economy and will help in sustainable economic development.
Gilani recalled having witnessed the signing of a “sister-province agreement” between the US state of California and Pakistan’s province of Punjab to promote trade, educational and cultural relations, during his visit to the US in January 2023.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025