F.P. Report
WASHINGTON: I thank you for joining us today in this virtual event to celebrate the 81st National Day of Pakistan. I would also take this opportunity to convey our gratitude to Senator Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Rep. Tom Suozzi for being part of today’s celebrations. We thank them for their messages on this auspicious occasion.
23rd March 1940 is one of the most significant landmarks in the history of Pakistan. On this day, 81 years ago, the Muslims of the subcontinent resolved to seek a separate homeland, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where they could lead their lives with honor and dignity.
Today, as we celebrate the Pakistan Day, we reaffirm our commitment to continue with the same resolve and determination to make Pakistan a beacon of peace, progress and prosperity in the world as envisioned by our founding fathers.
Our leadership’s vision for a new and transformed Pakistan is focused around economic security. Today, we are pursuing a foreign policy that seeks to deliver peace and prosperity to our people. Consequently, instead of being a part of geo-political competition or rivalries, we look for coexistence and win-win cooperation. To this end, we are positioning Pakistan as an economic and transit hub and melting pot of positive global interests. Our geographic location, demographic dividend, democratic orientation, rich human and natural resources clearly put us in a unique position to realize this vision.
The remarkable improvement in our internal security situation over the last several years achieved through immense sacrifices of our security forces and ordinary citizens in the fight against terrorism has further enabled us to reap the economic benefits of this transformed environment.
We are clear eyed about the importance of peaceful neighborhood in our quest for economic development and prosperity. Peace in Afghanistan, being essential for achieving this goal, is in Pakistan’s national interest. Today, it is also an important convergence between Pakistan and the US. We have and we will continue to work with the United States to facilitate the Afghan peace process for achieving an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive political settlement.
Pakistan seeks peace and normal relations with India as well. We have all along maintained that the only way forward is through peaceful negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India including the core dispute of Jammu & Kashmir. While the recent reaffirmation of ceasefire at LoC is a welcome development, the onus now is on India to demonstrate its seriousness in pursuing peace in the region and take steps for creating an enabling environment for a meaningful dialogue.
Pakistan has enjoyed an enduring partnership with the US over the decades. We believe that our future lies in further strengthening this partnership and working together for the betterment of peoples of both countries.
We have had initial contacts at the leadership level with the new Administration and as the new team settles down, we look forward to working closely in building a stand-alone, broad-based and enduring partnership that builds on convergences and mutuality of interests. We envision a far-reaching bilateral agenda that ranges from promoting trade and investment, defence and energy cooperation, and deepening of people-to-people linkages through greater education and cultural exchanges. There is also potential for cooperation on global issues such as public health, combating climate change and fighting corruption.
In this context, we draw strength from a number of key enablers in the relationship including strong people to people ties, mutually beneficial businesses and economic linkages, shared values and principles and compatible legal frameworks as well as common interest in promoting peace and stability in the region.
Over the last several decades, we have seen the US corporate footprint grow in Pakistan. And yet we believe that our business and trade ties are far below their actual potential. We would like to encourage our private sectors to proactively explore the enormous opportunities and would do everything to facilitate them.
The people of Pakistan have always had tremendous cultural affinity for the US. Our brightest young men and women aspire to study in US colleges and universities through scholarship programs such as Fulbright. These Fulbright scholars have contributed tremendously to Pakistan’s socio-economic uplift and progress. We also look forward to enhancing educational cooperation between the two countries.
A manifestation of this robust relationship is the dynamic and vibrant Pakistani American community. There are nearly 1 million Pakistani-Americans living in the US and making productive contributions to the US politics, culture and economy.
Historically, the Pakistani-American diaspora has acted as an important bridge between the two countries and a key enabler of the relationship. The diaspora has made particularly significant contributions in promoting a deeper understanding of each other’s values and traditions. It is this commonality of shared aspirations that provides a solid foundation for our strong partnership.
The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic made the last one year an extraordinarily difficult year for everyone around the world. As we brace ourselves for the third wave of the pandemic, the need for global cooperation in vaccine procurement, distribution and development cannot be stressed enough. We look forward to work with the international community including bilaterally with the US to fight this pandemic and its economic impact.
I conclude by thanking all our friends who have joined us today in celebrating this occasion. We greatly value your support and contribution in the development of an enduring partnership between Pakistan and the US.
