The United States Institute of Peace hosted Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan for a discussion on “The Next Chapter in US-Pakistan Relations”. Ambassador Richard Oslon, former Ambassador of the United States to Pakistan, moderated the event, says a press release received here today from Washington DC. During the discussion, Ambassador Khan highlighted that Afghanistan is an area of convergence between Pakistan and the United States because both countries wanted to see a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan. Ambassador Khan said that an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan would best serve Pakistan and the United States’ shared security interests in the region. This is why it was important to invest in the Afghan peace process at this critical time. He noted that the Extended Troika declarations issued by Pakistan, China, Russia, and the United States could serve as a template for coordinated messaging by the key regional and international stakeholders on the need for a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan. Ambassador Khan said that the peace in Afghanistan is winnable and the peace process is a shared responsibility. Commenting on Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics, Ambassador Khan said that the Government wanted to leverage Pakistan’s location and connectivity infrastructure to promote regional integration and growth. He noted that the United States remained the largest market for Pakistan exports, and underlined Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture, and technology sectors. He pointed out that Pakistan is well-placed in the region to be an important part of the global supply chain. On India-Pakistan relations, Ambassador said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan is desirous of good relations with India but the BJP government led by Prime Minister Modi has pursued the extremist and anti-Pakistan agenda that has made the normalization of relations very difficult. On Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador responded that the question of Kashmir should be resolved according to the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as promised to them by the International community through the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
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