Pakistan made great strides in fight against terrorism: Aizaz

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said that Pakistan has made great strides in the fight against terrorism by driving out militant groups from the country. The Ambassador, who is meeting US Congressional leaders as part of his efforts to win more support for Pakistan, met Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat) on Capitol Hill on Friday. Senator Merkley serves on the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees.
Ambassador Chaudhry gave Senator Merkley an overview of Pakistan-U.S. relations. He said as a result of its fight against terrorism, terrorist incidents had shown a marked decline in recent times. Meanwhile, an improved security environment and economic stabilization were driving foreign investors' interest in the country.
Highlighting Pakistan's perspective on the new U.S. strategy for South Asia, the Ambassador said Pakistan wanted to work with the United States to bring peace to Afghanistan since Pakistan's economic and security gains were at risk from continued instability in Afghanistan. A comprehensive political process was required to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan
Senator Merkley appreciated Ambassador Chaudhry's briefing. He agreed with the Ambassador on the need for Pakistan and the United States to work together in the bilateral domain, and for bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. The Ambassador, at the joint invitation of Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy, visited Georgia Tech and addressed faculty and students of the University at the Klaus Advanced Computing Building on Friday.
He exchanged views with Georgia Tech leadership, faculty and staff on the current international and regional political landscape. Later, the Ambassador addressed a large gathering of students on the Future of Pakistan-United States Cooperation: Regional Peace and Prosperity. In his exchanges, the Ambassador reiterated Pakistan's desire to maintain a broad based and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States that spans over seventy years.