ISLAMABAD: United States Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from October 2-4 to promote the US-Pakistan partnership and highlight the two countries’ deep economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties, the US Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.

During his visit, Ambassador Blome met with AJK Prime Minister Tanveer Ilyas and academic, business, cultural and civil society representatives. In Muzaffarabad, Ambassador Blome laid a wreath to honour the victims of the 2005 earthquake and stated that “during the 75 years of our partnership, the United States has always stood by Pakistan, particularly when it’s needed most.”

Following the earthquake, the US government and private sector provided significant humanitarian relief and reconstruction, and the US military delivered relief supplies.

In his meetings, Ambassador Blome emphasized that the United States is continuing this strong tradition of supporting Pakistan during times of great need, having thus far contributed more than $66 million in cash, food, shelter, and health assistance in response to the devastating flooding. The US support has included a US military air-bridge that delivered lifesaving supplies to the people of Pakistan.

At the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Blome visited the Lincoln Corner Muzaffarabad, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. This space provides students and the local community with a multi-media resource centre to listen to expert speakers, take part in STEM activities, practice English-language skills, and learn about the United States.

The ambassador also joined university leadership to see previous US government-funded projects on campus, including a building completed in 2017, which features laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms, and energy-efficient and green-building concepts.

While in Muzaffarabad, the ambassador also visited the Quaid-i-Azam Memorial Dak Bungalow, the Red Fort, and the Jalalabad Garden, symbols of the cultural and historical richness of Pakistan. Meeting with members of the 950-person strong Muzaffarabad chapter of the Pakistan-US Alumni Network, Ambassador Blome praised them for the passion they bring to their communities and the bilateral relationship, discussing the 60 recent projects they have done on topics as varied as climate change, women’s empowerment, and entrepreneurship.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022