Islamabad: Pakistan and US have a long history of cooperation and collaboration, and both have worked to strengthen it. Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said this in his speech at the cake cutting ceremony held at the National Press Club on the occasion of the 248th Independence Day of US.
He said that the United States is one of the largest trading partners of Pakistan. A number of bilateral trade and investment agreements have been made in many sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, technology and manufacturing. Both countries have closely cooperated in security and counter-terrorism efforts, with Pakistan playing a key role in regional stability and counter-terrorism operations.
He also said that education and scholarship programs such as the Fulbright program have enabled thousands of Pakistani students to study in the United States and promote mutual understanding and cultural exchange. He said it is an important part of US humanitarian aid to Pakistan during natural disasters like earthquakes and floods.
The ICCI President noted the contribution of IDUSAID and other American organizations to development projects in Pakistan, including health, education and infrastructure development, which contribute to the development of the country.
He hoped that Pak-US relations will continue to grow in all fields, especially people-to-people and business, in the future, which will go a long way to further strengthen the partnership.
The delegation was led by the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly Phil Ramos and the Chairman of the Pakistan American Public Relations Committee Dr. Ijaz Ahmed also attended the event and emphasized the need to develop bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States. Countries in various fields interact with each other to promote social and cultural integration and education, health and society. It also called for the development of media cooperation on both sides.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Phil Remus shared suggestions on how to improve existing bilateral relations and suggested declaring New York a twin province with Punjab and Sindh.
Phil Ramos praised the contribution of the Pakistani people to the United States, stressing the need for a strong educational foundation and people-to-people relations to overcome obstacles and foster closer ties between the two countries.
Dr. Ijaz Ahmed, Chairman of the American Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC), said that the Pakistani community is eager to invest in their country and called for facilitation and cooperation for this initiative.
New York Assemblyman Alec Brooke Cressey said Pakistan has a better education system for nurses and Pakistani professional nurses can earn good salaries in the United States, adding, “We have established a school for cultural exchange in New York and Pakistan, and Pakistani students can learn from American teachers and “They can learn history from American kids and they can learn from Pakistani teachers.”
President Afzal Butone, president of the Pakistan Union of Journalists, said that people-to-people relations and cooperation between the journalistic communities of the two sides are necessary to develop these relations.
Meanwhile, NPC Secretary Nayer Ali and Finance Secretary Waqar Abbasi also spoke about different views on Pakistan-US relations.
