In a Zoom link meeting with members of the American-Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) delegation, which accompanied New York State Deputy Assembly Speaker Phil Ramos, the ambassador welcomed the visit’s outcome – Associated Press of Pakistan
Pakistan Continues Building Strong Sister Relations with US States
By Elaine Pasquini
Washington: Masood Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, continues to build close ties with the United States, Pakistan’s longtime ally, with new sister-state relationships.
In this regard, the recent visit of New York State Deputy Assembly Speaker Phil Ramos to Pakistan has paved the way for the establishment of another sister-state relationship between the two countries. Also, during the deputy Assembly speaker’s visit, important decisions were made to take practical steps for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the healthcare sector and creating greater opportunities for paramedical staff from Pakistan in the United States.
Additional important news came out of a virtual meeting between Ambassador Khan and a delegation of the American Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) wherein it was announced that the United States had also agreed to facilitate the Pakistan business community in organizing tradeshows and holding exhibitions in New York and other US cities to showcase Pakistani products and strengthen ties between the two countries.
The APPAC delegation apprised the ambassador that representatives of the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, APPAC and the deputy speaker’s office are working out a roadmap for implementation of the decisions.
Ambassador Khan commended APPAC for its important role in strengthening trade and investment opportunities and promoting people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and the United States.
Looking forward to the establishment of a sister-state relationship between Pakistan and New York State, the ambassador said the arrangement would provide a “strong framework for forging multifaceted long-term ties in diverse areas.”
On January 9, 2023, a sister relationship agreement between Punjab province and California was signed at the California State Capitol building in Sacramento. This new alliance, along with the recently established sister relationships between the US state of Georgia and Pakistan’s Sindh province and the cities of Karachi and Houston, would provide a blueprint for a strong partnership with New York State, he noted.
Calling upon the business community and APPAC to commence work on the agreed proposal immediately, the ambassador assured them they would receive all possible support from Pakistan trade officers in crystallizing proposals to secure these set of actions with delineated timelines.
Ambassador Khan also highlighted large trade and investment opportunities that awaited US investments, especially in IT, renewable energy, agriculture, and extractive industries, which would strengthen economic ties and increase people-to-people contacts.
Pointing out exponential growth of tech start-ups in the country and the significant investment from venture capital firms from Silicon Valley, the ambassador said that digitalization of the economy and efforts to introduce IT-based solutions for service delivery have created an opportunity for profitable investments.
“Contribute towards making Pakistan economically strong by scaling up your investments in the country,” the ambassador urged participants in the virtual meeting.
APPAC members thanked the ambassador for his continued support and guidance.
Expressing satisfaction over the growing role of the Pakistani community in the United States and their contributions to US society, Ambassador Khan encouraged diaspora bodies “to work in unison and to create synergies for greater impact of their activities.”
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
