Pak-US broad-based engagement critical to advance shared goals: PM

• Pakistan attaches importance to its ties with US, says PM Shehbaz. 
• Thanks US for its continued support for Pakistan’s post-flood reconstruction.
• Premier also reaffirms Pakistan’s resolve to deepen economic and trade engagement with US.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed that structured and broad-based Pakistan-US engagement is critical to advancing both countries’ shared goals in bilateral and regional domains.

The premier made the remarks in a meeting with US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, who called on him in Islamabad on Thursday.

During the huddle, PM Shehbaz thanked the US for its continued support for Pakistan’s post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, including at the recently held International Conference on Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.

He reiterated that Pakistan attached importance to its longstanding ties with the US, according to a statement issued by the PM Office.

The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to deepen economic and trade engagement with the US.

Speaking on the occasion, US envoy Blome said that his country would continue to support Pakistan’s post-flood recovery as well as the government’s efforts for economic development and reform.

US ties with Pakistan, India 'stand on their own'

On January 24, the US State Department said that even though the United States wants to see regional stability in South Asia, its relationships with Pakistan and India "stand on their own".

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price expressed these views during a press briefing on Monday while talking about the strained ties between Pakistan and India and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's invitation to Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to hold talks about the burning issues including Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK).

"We’ve long called for regional stability in South Asia. That’s certainly what we want to see. We want to see it advanced. When it comes to our partnership – our partnerships with India and Pakistan, these are relationships that stand on their own. We do not see these relationships as zero-sum," Price said.

The spokesperson said that the pace, scope, the character of any dialogue between India and Pakistan is a matter for those two countries.

Sustainable growth via IMF reforms

Donald Blome had said Pakistan needed sustainable growth based on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reforms as the global lender works within a sharp policy framework, The News reported on Tuesday.

He said this while addressing the members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and added that the reforms proposed by the IMF and the World Bank will bring Pakistan on a sustained growth path.

According to Blome, the US is looking for ways to reduce economic pressure on Pakistan. “Our bilateral trade in 2022 reached $9.9 billion, of which Pakistan exported goods worth $6.8 billion."

He said the US commerce department is looking for ways to facilitate Pakistan, adding that the country needs to shift from imported fossil fuels to indigenous fuels. “Pakistan has got a lot of potential in this regard. The US is assisting the country to achieve this potential through consultancy and investment.”

The US envoy said that climate change adversely impacted Pakistan, adding that a few weeks after the devastation caused by floods, numerous US officials visited the country’s affected areas.

“The US since then has committed $200 million for relief efforts and is trying to assist Pakistan in overcoming the climate impact through a planning mechanism to respond to floods. This includes putting together a resilient infrastructure,” he said.

Regarding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan, Blome pointed out that this is a long process and would take time, while on visa issues, he admitted there was a backlog after the COVID-19 that is being cleared and the things would normalise in a few months. He said Pakistan has a huge unrealised potential in tourism, adding that the US is assisting the country in preserving its cultural heritage that fascinates tourists.