US Senate Armed Services, Intelligence Committee members call on Army Chief Bajwa

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said Pakistan desired to maintain productive bilateral engagement with all the regional players and wished for peaceful, diversified and sustained relations.

He said this while talking to members of US Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committee headed by Senator Angus King in Rawalpindi.

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, said the media wing of armed forces, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief reiterated the urgency for global convergence on Afghanistan to avoid looming humanitarian crisis and need for coordinated efforts for economic uplift of the Afghan people.

Read more: PM Imran Khan calls for ‘deeper, stronger’ Pak-US ‘partnership’ for regional peace

The visiting dignitaries appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation, special efforts for border management, role in regional stability and pledged to play their part for furthering diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

Pakistan welcomes enhanced bilateral trade, investment from US

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood Saturday while highlighting Pakistan’s pivot to geo-economics, emphasized that Pakistan welcomed enhanced bilateral trade and greater investments from the United States.

The foreign secretary, in a meeting with a four-member delegation of the US Senate here, hoped that the US companies would reap dividends from Pakistan’s emerging market status.

The delegation included Senators Angus King, Richard Burr, John Cornyn and Benjamin Sasse.

FS Sohail Mahmood received U.S. Senate delegation including Senators King, Burr, Cornyn & Sasse. FS reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a broad-based and enduring 🇵🇰🇺🇸relationship; stressed importance of closer engagement for peaceful, stable & prosperous Afghanistan & South Asia pic.twitter.com/DF637ZU7IF

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) December 11, 2021

Welcoming the Senate delegation to Pakistan, the foreign secretary underscored that Pakistan valued its long-standing relationship with the US and wanted to further deepen bilateral ties based on shared interests.

The foreign secretary briefed the senators on the serious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and underscored that the international community must help the Afghan people avert the crisis through immediate support and financial assistance.

In this regard, he stressed the importance of the release of Afghanistan’s frozen financial resources.

The foreign secretary also apprised the visiting delegation of Pakistan’s efforts to mobilize international support through multiple regional and international mechanisms. In this context, he also mentioned the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted in Islamabad.

Read more: US must ‘pull itself together’ and engage with Taliban: PM Imran Khan

He also briefed the delegation about unabated gross human rights violations against the Kashmiris in IIOJK and underscored that the U.S. Congress must play its due role in this regard.

The senators, acknowledging the importance of long-standing Pakistan-US ties, affirmed the desire to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in its myriad dimensions.

The senators appreciated Pakistan’s role in the evacuation of US nationals and others post-15 August 2021 and stressed the importance of closer cooperation to support the objectives of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.