Shehbaz directs Ambassador to identify avenues of further collaboration; Pak-US counterterrorism dialogue on March 6-7
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Pakistan valued its mutually beneficial ties with the United States and was determined to further enhance its trade and investment in multi-dimensional fields of IT, agriculture and industry.
The prime minister was talking to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Sardar Masood Khan, who called on him at his office, the PM Office said in a statement.
The prime minister directed the abassador to identify further avenues of collaboration to promote Pak-US trade and investment.
He further directed Pakistan’s Mission in Washington and the authorities in Pakistan to extend full cooperation to the American investors.
The prime minister underscored that the government was working on priority basis to further ease trade and investment-related rules and regulations.
The ambassador briefed the prime minister about the performance of Pakistan’s mission in the US.
Meanwhile, the State Department said in a statement on Friday, that Pakistan and the US will hold a comprehensive dialogue on counter-terrorism and develop policy-oriented strategies regarding cooperation between the two countries.
Acting Coordinator for Counter-terrorism Christopher Landberg will lead a US inter-agency delegation to Pakistan from March 6-7 to participate in the Pakistan-US counter-terrorism dialogue.
The State Department said they will discuss the “shared terrorist threats facing the two countries” and develop “policy-oriented strategies” regarding cooperation in critical areas such as border security and countering the financing of terrorism.
The development comes against the backdrop of increasing terror incidents in Pakistan and Washington’s assurance to help the country deal with the worsening law and order situation. Last month, US Department of State Counselor Derek Chollet visited Pakistan and held a series of meetings with the civil and military leadership as a manifestation of a positive trajectory of relations with the US. “Chollet and a delegation of senior US government officials, including Counselor of the US Agency for International Development Clinton White and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan Elizabeth Horst, visited Islamabad February 16-17 to highlight the importance of our bilateral partnership. and reaffirm our countries’ shared goals,” said the US Embassy in a statement.
Chollet met with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to discuss strengthening the US-Pakistan bilateral partnership, including increased economic cooperation and Pakistan’s needs as it continues to recover and rebuild following the floods.
