Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the United States not to view relations with Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan or China, saying ties between the two countries must stand on their own.
The prime minister made the remarks as he attended a diplomatic reception held at the US Embassy in Islamabad on Thursday to mark 75 years of relations between Islamabad and Washington.
The reception began with a minute of silence to express condolences for the deaths of people and convey pain to those who had lost their livelihoods in the devastating floods.
The reception was attended by federal ministers and the US ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome.
"We really want to build and restore these relations to normal and friendly relations based on trust, respect and mutual understanding. Of course, there is a file on your part and a file on our part, but if we have to move forward and then, I must find ways and means to heat up our relations to levels we have seen in the past," Prime Minister Shehbaz said while addressing the ceremony.
He also said that the United States should not view relations with Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan or China, as they should stand on their own two feet.
"When Pakistan was facing the worst kind of blackouts, [then] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to spend our scarce resources to invest [in] another 5,000 MW [of electricity]. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar opposed tooth and nail. ...he said I don't have the money...he had his own pertinent point PM Nawaz thought besides what we are getting in CPEC projects he said let's not delay it because if there is another dharna CPEC program it will be derailed and by the time of the 2018 elections, we could not show anything to the people of Pakistan," he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that as a result of that decision [we got] 5,000 MW [of electricity and GE installed 3,500 MW]. "The plants were installed in the shortest time possible," he praised.
The prime minister said that he was the most ardent supporter of the friendship between Pakistan and the United States. "Let's put the past in the past...as long as we have serious dialogues, we can't go wrong."
Speaking of his recent trip to Washington, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that he had many productive meetings in the US, including with President Biden and Secretary Blinken.
"I thanked you. I thank you again [here]. I thank you for the program you announced for people affected by the floods," he said.
"If we had used $32 billion [given by the US to Pakistan in the past] in the right direction and properly monitored, we would have broken our begging bowl," he added.
Speaking about the floods in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the disaster was not caused by Pakistan as it is a developing country.
"Pakistan is a very strong nation. The people are very hard-working. Our population is 50 percent male and 50 percent female. There is complete freedom of action. The United States is our biggest trading partner," he said.
"This catastrophic situation was not created by us... It is man-made, but not ours. 1,600 people have left this world, including 400 children. More than a million mud houses have been thrown into the Arabian Sea. People live on the open air heaven waiting for help. It is my duty [to help], but whatever we do will not be enough."
He called on the United States and the international community to support Pakistan during this difficult time. "This is our right. We have not brought this on ourselves," he added.
Over the decades, more than $32 billion in US support has benefited Pakistan and improved the lives of the Pakistani people, the ambassador added.
On the occasion, US Ambassador Donald Blome also met with the Prime Minister and discussed issues related to bilateral relations and cooperation.
Reviewed by Admin
on
September 30, 2022
Rating:
No comments: