United States envoy Donald Blome has assured President Asif Ali Zardari of the country’s support in its fight against terrorism.
The ambassador conveyed his condolences for the loss of Pakistani soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, according to a statement from Acting US Mission Spokesperson Thomas Montgomery on Monday.
Seven army men were martyred when terrorists attacked a check post on Saturday. They were laid to rest in their native areas with full military honours on Sunday.
The Foreign Office confirmed to the media earlier in the day that the country conducted anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan against terrorists belonging to the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
The statement from the embassy added that Blome called on Zardari in Islamabad to discuss a broad range of issues important to the bilateral relationship, including US support for continued economic reforms, human rights, and regional security.
The ambassador highlighted the importance of the two countries’ shared interests and the “many opportunities to advance our shared goals, including through high-level dialogues and the Green Alliance framework.”
A separate statement from the Press Information Department stated that President Asif Ali Zardari stressed the need for enhancing trade and investment relations with the US, besides exploring collaborative opportunities in diverse sectors.
“American enterprises should be encouraged to invest in the Pakistan Stock Exchange as well as bring innovative business ideas to the country’s economy,” he said.
The president said that Pakistan had enjoyed a long-standing and broad-based relationship with the US spanning over seven decades, which needed to be further strengthened.
The top priority of Pakistan was to put its economy on the right track and overcome economic and security challenges, Zardari said and highlighted that climate change was a global issue and the South Asian country was among the countries most vulnerable to its adverse impacts.
Pakistan wanted to improve its agricultural sector by adopting modern irrigation techniques to conserve water and reduce reliance on flood irrigation, he added.
Blome was of the view that Pakistan and the US could enhance bilateral collaboration in the fields of trade & investment, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture and security.
He informed that the US had completed the Sindh Basic Education Program to build climate-resilient schools to strengthen Pakistan’s education sector. The US ambassador also congratulated the president on assuming the office for a second time.
