The conference was held to address key issues related to community engagement, improved service delivery, consular services, and the best way to move forward in enhancing economic ties with the United States
Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh Hosts Consuls General at Pakistan Embassy
By Elaine Pasquini
Washington: The Honorable Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, chaired a daylong conference of consuls general at the Pakistan Embassy on September 15, 2024.
The conference was held to address key issues related to community engagement, improved service delivery, consular services, and the best way to move forward in enhancing economic ties with the United States.
Pakistan’s consuls general from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York attended the marathon six-hour session. Commercial and trade officers from the four consulates also attended.
The diplomats apprised Ambassador Sheikh of the services being provided to the Pakistani community in their jurisdictions including visas, passports, and other consular services. They also discussed in detail the myriad of challenges reported by applicants due to certain systemic issues and constraints.
A decision was made to approach relevant federal and provincial government departments to find solutions to these issues. The meeting also explored the possibility of extending biometric verification facilities for land transfers, vehicle sales, and bank account verifications.
“The Pakistani community is our biggest asset,” the ambassador said. “It is the most enduring link in Pakistan-US relations. We should make every possible effort to reach out to our people in the length and breadth of the United States and resolve their issues.”
“We must accelerate efforts to organize our community, especially professional organizations so that they can play a greater role in their respective areas of operation,” he added.
The ambassador also highlighted new initiatives taken by the government to ease the visa regime, especially for businesses and tourism, and stressed that maximum awareness should be created about these initiatives.
Trade officers provided a comprehensive briefing on ongoing efforts to promote bilateral trade, detailing steps taken to introduce Pakistani products and connect businesses with potential partners in the United States.
Ambassador Sheikh emphasized the necessity of attracting investments in priority areas, particularly in self-sustaining businesses that have the potential to create job opportunities for the youth.
He also stressed the need to explore the trade requirements of each US state with the goal of connecting each sector with its counterpart in Pakistan.
The ambassador noted that existing sister-state and sister-city agreements between the US and Pakistan provided good models not only to strengthen economic interactions but also to establish similar linkages with other US states.
Pakistan’s tech-savvy youth, he proudly pointed out, is well-positioned to provide IT solutions to companies across the United States at much more affordable rates.
Similarly, Pakistan could also help meet the demand for pharmacists and nurses in the United States, he added.
The group also delved into Pakistan-US cooperation in the education sector and ongoing efforts to strengthen existing collaboration.
The conference concluded with a renewed commitment to actively engage the community, improve service delivery, and promote people-to-people ties, especially by fostering business linkages.
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
