ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The US Senators on Saturday acknowledged the importance of long-standing Pakistan-US ties and affirmed the desire to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in its myriad dimensions.
In a meeting with the Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, a four-member delegation of the US Senate comprising Senators Angus King, Richard Burr, John Cornyn, and Benjamin Sasse, 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.
All four Senators are members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while Senator King is also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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 Sohail Mahmood underscored that Pakistan valued its long-standing relationship with the United States and wanted to further deepen bilateral ties based on shared interests.
The foreign secretary emphasized that deeper engagement between the two Countries was pivotal for peace, security, and development in the region.
Highlighting Pakistan’s pivot to geo-economics, the foreign secretary emphasized that Pakistan welcomed enhanced bilateral trade and greater investments from the US.
The foreign secretary hoped that the US Companies would reap dividends from Pakistan’s emerging market status.
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Sohail Mahmood briefed the US 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 Sohail Mahmood also apprised the visiting delegation about Pakistan’s efforts to mobilize international support through multiple regional and international mechanisms and mentioned, in this context, the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted in Islamabad.
The foreign secretary also briefed the delegation about unabated gross human rights violations against the Kashmiris in IIOJK and underscored that the US Congress must play its due role in this regard.
