Pak-US strategic dialogue agenda: agriculture, communication, defence and security and other topics to be discussed

The Pakistan-US strategic dialogue, to commence in Washington on March 24, will cover issues like circular debt, revenue collection/value-added tax (VAT) implementation and deficit targets, official sources told Business Recorder.
The dialogue, according to US President's Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrook, will focus on agriculture, communication and public diplomacy, defence and security, economic development and finance, trade environment, social issues and energy and water.
Details of the issues to be discussed between the officials of the two countries are as follows:
1) Agriculture
i) Crop enhancement (wheat and horticultural) and livestock productivity (control of animal disease) and market systems; water management and irrigation infrastructure improvement; progress under Afghanistan-Pakistan-US Trilateral; sanitary-phytosanitary capacity building; export of Pakistani mangoes to the US (proposed pilot shipment this season, proposed capacity building over the next year) and Pakistani Seed Act and Plant Breeder's Act (improved capability to benefit from biotechnological advances).
2) Communications and Public Diplomacy
i) Media and regulatory frameworks; (ii) communications platforms and content; (iii) countering extremist voices; (iv) defining and reaching audiences and; (v) expanding access to information.
3- Defence and Security
i) Pakistani 'COIN' Operation; (ii) Pakistani operation overview; (iii) USG military assistance (USG) and; (iv) enabling hold-build activities in Pakistan; (v) long-term Pakistani military modernisation; and (vi) presentation on defence planning exchange (USG).
3-Economic Development and Finance: Macroeconomic Environment
(i) Signing thermal power rehabilitation agreements (Secretary W and P, Ambassador Patterson); (ii) circular debt resolution; (iii) revenue collection/VAT implementation; and (iv) deficit targets.
4-Trade Environment (45 minutes)
i) Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs; (ii) Free Trade Agreement (FTA); (iii) GSP; (iv) investment environment; (v) TIFA Developments; (vi) USAID Trade Facilitation and Economic Growth Programs;(vii) USTDA cold storage and non-energy programs; transit trade negotiations.
5- Social issues
i) University partnerships in research and education; (ii) education administration in a decentralised system; (iii) sustaining US investment in Pakistan's educations sector; (iv) curriculum reform; (v) women's education/girls' education; (vi) public-private-religious school models and; (vii) school violence.
6-Energy and Water
i) Update on Pakistan programme (new generation update; efficiency; collections; performance contracts for distribution companies); (ii) update on US signature program (immediate impact projects); Disco support program; OPIC; USTDA; USDOC trade missions; planning for lab visits. Water (Pakistani priorities; UU approach to water and assistance planning).