Ready to engage with new US admin: FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said Pakistan was ready to engage with the new administration of the United States, considering it an ‘opportunity to build a long-term, broad-based and multidimensional relationship.’

“Such partnership would require an institutionalised and structured engagement, based on mutual respect and cooperation,” the foreign minister said at a webinar on Pakistan’s priorities with the 46th US administration, organised by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed confidence that president-elect Joe Biden as an ‘old friend to Pakistan’ would work towards strengthening ties between the two countries. He said already exchange of messages had taken place between Prime Minister Imran Khan and the US president-elect, who expressed interest of working with Pakistan on issues of common interests. He said Pakistan would not become part of regional disputes.

“Our historic ties can reset as Pakistan and the US must share an understanding to deal with challenges of present for a better tomorrow,” he said. Qureshi said the two countries needed to work in confronting challenges in the wake of pandemic, global economic slowdown, climate change and erosion of multilateralism.

He said the US must continue to count on Pakistan as a partner for peace in Afghanistan where other actors did not share the same vision and played role of spoilers. “Both our sides must remain cognizant that achieving an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan would only be the first step towards peace,” he said.

He said Pakistan would continue to take action again terrorists on its soil. “Our journey from terrorism to tourism has been exemplified by New York Times that included Lahore as one of the top places to visit in 2021 and 2022,” he said.

Qureshi said Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was witnessing a fundamental transformation with economic growth and human development as top priorities.

At the webinar, former Assistant Secretary of State Ambassador Robin Raphel highlighted that Pakistan was an important country and that insufficient support on Afghan issue, and lack of understanding between the two countries led to the double game narrative, adding that the both countries should interact truthfully.

He said Pakistan is a country with a large human resource successful entrepreneurs, endowed with great number of natural resources and its potential was its strategic position as very well known by the State Department and Islamabad must be addressed as such that more effort was needed at the higher levels in the both governments. She emphasised that the need to present a Pakistan’s softer positive image to USA.

Former ambassador Zamir Akram mentioned that the cornerstone of relationship with the USA was “national security” and the relationship is tilted in favour of the States being a large country.

Michael Kugelman from Woodrow Wilson International Center feared that the USA may have difficulty in a high-level of connectivity with Pakistan and its relationship with India may take precedence; however, joint collaboration on the Afghan peace and ISIS issues would remain a source of such connectivity between the two countries. Furthermore, he added, that there was scope in conjoining non-security matters such as climate change, cyber security, clean energy, public health and through this potential relationship would improve.

Former secretary foreign affairs Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry stated that the people-to-people relationships are stronger than the government-to-government ties, and these interactions can play an important role in bringing the two countries together.

Concluding the webinar, Karachi Council on Foreign Relations Chairman Ikram Sehgal stated that Pakistan’s role was critical as it has positioned itself as a neutral state in the region vis-a-vis Iran and Saudi Arabia. There was a need for investment driven relationships.

Meanwhile, Shah Mehmood Qureshi Wednesday said India was continuously denying investigation into the mysterious killing of 11 Pakistani Hindu nationals and vowed that Pakistan would raise the matter at all international forums.

Talking to the members of Hindu community led by MNA Ramesh Kumar outside the Foreign Office, Qureshi assured them that Pakistan would not inch back till getting justice for the bereaved family.

Eleven members of a Pakistani Hindu family were killed under mysterious circumstances during their visit to the Jodhpur area of Rajhastan in India.The daughter of the head of family had held the Indian intelligence agency RAW responsible for the heinous murders.

The foreign minister said doubts were being created due to the dodgy responses by India as it was not willing to share any information. “But I assure my Hindu community that Pakistan stands by them and will raise the issue at every international forum,” he said, adding that Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was also actively pursuing the matter.

Qureshi said the government of Pakistan had high respect for human life and recalled how the Supreme Court immediately reacted to a recent attack at a Hindu place of worship. He said the government immediately took action and all the culprits were arrested.

A female member of the Hindu community told the foreign minister that the Indian government had filed a case against some planted people, who were not being persecuted. She said that her family members were running pillar to post to get the remains of their loved ones.

MNA Ramesh Kumar, also the patron of Pakistan Hindu Council, said the minorities in Pakistan enjoyed full protection and said India must respect its responsibilities towards protection of foreign citizens visiting the country.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, terming Pakistan’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as “special,” said the Emirati leadership steadfastly stood by Pakistan in its times of need.

In a meeting with UAE’s Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign minister said Pakistan always accorded paramount importance to its long-standing fraternal ties with the UAE.

Qureshi said warm sentiments between the two leaderships and strong people-to-people linkages were rooted in shared faith, values and culture. He paid rich tribute to late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who, he said, contributed immensely towards strengthening bilateral ties.

He looked forward to enhanced high-level engagements with the UAE, as soon as the global health situation improved. The foreign minister appreciated the UAE’s support for Pakistan’s Expo pavilion to be held in 2021, covering an approximate area of 3,500 sq. meters.

The UAE ambassador hailed the strong UAE-Pakistan relations and pledged to work towards further strengthening and diversifying them in all sectors for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples. He acknowledged the positive contribution made by Pakistani diaspora towards the progress and development of the UAE.

Ambassador Al Zaabi reaffirmed the UAE’’s desire to develop bilateral ties with Pakistan on the basis of mutual respect, understanding, and common interests.

The UAE is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, (UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme), valuable support was provided to Pakistan in the areas of education, health, energy and infrastructure development.

The UAE is home to more than 1.6 million Pakistanis ‘the second largest Pakistani expatriates’ community abroad.