Pakistan to continue to work with US for bilateral partnership, regional peace: Ambassador Khan

ISLAMABAD, Dec 17 (APP):Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Dr Asad M Khan has said that Pakistan deeply valued its seven decades old relationship with the United States and would continue to work with it for an enduring bilateral partnership as well as for regional stability in South Asia.

He said that in order to achieve common bilateral and regional gains, both the countries needed to move from a security-focused relationship to a comprehensive and a broad-based relationship, press release issued by Pakistan embassy in Washington received here Tuesday said.

The ambassador was speaking at the Sustained Dialogue Institute (SDI) in collaboration with the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, as part of the Ambassador Dialogue Series.

In his remarks, Ambassador Khan briefed the audience on a wide range of issues including Pakistan-US bilateral relationship and the recent developments in the region with a particular focus on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) & its implications for peace and security in South Asia.

In response to a question regarding the recent developments in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK), Ambassador Khan said that it was unfortunate that more than 8 million innocent Kashmiris were living under complete lockdown for the last 130 days.

He said that India’s unilateral and inhumane actions in IoJ&K had not only paralyzed the basic human rights and civil liberties of Kashmiris but had also endangered the regional peace and security.

SDI is a non-profit organization with a focus on increasing global dialogue.

Through its program, Ambassador Dialogue Series, the organization aims to contribute to further the global dialogue and enhance the understanding of diplomacy around the world.

The event was attended by a sizeable number of people from diverse backgrounds including scholars, embassy representatives, board members of SDI and representatives of civil society and media organizations.

A special documentary portraying Pakistan’s ancient civilization, geographical diversity and rich cultural heritage was also screened on the occasion, the statement said.