Pakistan committed to ending regional conflict: Ambassador Ali Jahangir

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Ali Jahangir Siddiqui has said peace in Afghanistan is his top policy priority and his country remains committed to ending regional conflict.

In an interview to Bloomberg TV on Monday, Siddiqui said Pakistan is working on a second portion of a fence at its border with its war-ravaged neighbour Afghanistan. The fence is a clear sign of Pakistan’s interest in ending the regional conflict and will help Pakistan and Afghanistan equally in doing so, Siddiqui said.

US President Donald Trump has in the past accused Pakistan of harbouring “agents of chaos” and providing safe havens to militant groups waging an insurgency against the US-backed government in Kabul.

US Army Lieutenant General Austin Miller, Trump’s nominee to head the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, said in a statement to a Senate panel last month that Pakistan has made “many sacrifices” and “its security forces have fought bravely,” but “we have not yet seen these counter-terrorism efforts against anti-Pakistan militants translate into definitive actions against Afghan Taliban or Haqqani leaders residing in Pakistan.”

“Until we complete this fence, it’s unreasonable to say we aren’t doing anything,” Siddiqui said.

On Pakistan’s economic imbalance, Siddiqui, a former banker and private equity executive and a graduate of Cornell University, said the dwindling foreign reserves and widening current account and trade deficits require a “structural change.”

The envoy said a “major energy shortage” has hobbled Pakistan’s economy, including textiles that are its prime export, and suggested importing more US natural gas as a key to diversifying his nation’s energy supply while expanding trade relations.

“Pakistan is on its way to becoming one of the world’s largest gas importers, and the US is well on its way to becoming the world’s largest LNG exporter,” Siddiqui said. “There is a lot of growth in our trade relation that could occur."

Trade between the US and Pakistan has stalled at about $5.5 billion in goods a year over the past decade. The top US exports to Pakistan are machinery and aircraft, while it imports include mainly textiles and leather products.