Pakistan, US lot to gain from cooperation, says US Deputy Assistant to President

WASHINGTON, March 25 (APP):Lisa Curtis, Deputy Assistant to the US President on South and Central Asia has underlined the need for cooperation between Pakistan and the United States, saying the two have lot to gain by working together.
She made these remarks while speaking as guest of honour at a ceremony to mark the 78th Pakistan Day at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.
Congratulating the people of Pakistan as well as Pakistani Americans on the National Day, she said Pakistan and the United States had a long history of working together. While there were some challenges faced by the relationship, the two countries had a lot to gain by working with each other.
Pakistan’s Ambassador Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, in his remarks, said the two countries enjoyed historic and longstanding ties that had seen many ups and downs but had always remained resilient. He expressed the hope that both countries would work together to attain common objectives and secure shared interests.
The ambassador recalled the historic struggle for Pakistan’s freedom and emphasized that the democratic ideals and values espoused in the Lahore Resolution of 1940 guided the Muslims of the Sub-Continent to independence in 1947. Those remained relevant even today.
He said that in just 70 years since its independence, Pakistan had achieved a lot of successes and it had the potential to achieve even more in the years to come. He highlighted that the country’s economy, energy, and law and order situation had improved significantly in the last few years.
The ambassador shared with the audience extracts of several messages of felicitation received on Pakistan’s National Day from US senators, congressmen, governors, as well as state officials and other US dignitaries.
Earlier, Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry, Mrs. Najia Aizaz Ahmad and senior officials of the Embassy as well as their spouses greeted the guests.
The event was attended by a gathering of over 500 guests from all walks of life including the US government, diplomatic corps of Washington DC as well as members of the Pakistani American diaspora. They were served with traditional Pakistani cuisine as well as Pakistani music.