Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday asked the Obama administration to give greater priority to trade than aid, and also encourage investment in Pakistan's critical sectors of the economy, including energy, agriculture and education.
He said this during his meeting with the new US Ambassador, Cameron Munter, who called on him at his Raiwind residence. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Nisar Ali Khan and other PML-N leaders including Senator Ishaq Dar were also present on the occasion. Views were exchanged on regional and country's internal security situation besides other matters of mutual interest, sources told Business Recorder.
It was emphasised by PML-N leadership that the United States, as a friend of both Pakistan and India, should show interest in promoting peace and stability in South Asia, which could only be ensured by facilitating resolution of differences that have plagued the region for years, sources added. Views were also exchanged over devastation caused by floods and assistance extended by the US for relief and rehabilitation of flood affectees, sources said.
The US Ambassador was accompanied by Consul General Carmela Conroy. Nawaz called upon the United States to establish a relationship of mutual interest and mutual respect for Pakistan. He urged the US to shift its focus away from the single-item agenda that it had pursued over years, and to build more meaningful ties with Pakistan based on identifying initiatives that could improve the lives and livelihood of the people of the country. To achieve this objective, Nawaz stressed that the Obama Administration should give greater priority to trade than aid.
Felicitating Cameron Munter on his appointment as US Ambassador to Pakistan, the PML-N leader recalled Pakistan's long and friendly relations with the United States, during the course of which the two countries had co-operated closely on a number of critical issues, including some which had left a strong imprint on global developments.
He said: "The two countries had, however, failed to build durable ties that could stand up to the challenges that inevitably emerged over the course of time. This was on account of their inability to build relations based on mutual trust and mutual respect." Nawaz recalled that he had warmly welcomed President Obama's references during his election campaign to the important role played by Pakistan in the region and beyond and to the need for the US to take an active interest in the promotion of peace and stability in the region.