Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani said Pakistan does not need aid but trade with the US. Addressing a luncheon meeting arranged in his honour by the Houston Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA), he said: "We need market access to USA for our wonderful textile, surgical instruments, food, and other products.
Our relationships with the USA, that had seen slight down turns, have now been considerably improved with the start of the ongoing strategic dialogues and formation of working committees on terrorism, security, energy, trade, education, science and other ones". Around seventy eminent personalities from various spheres of life were present, including political, business, academic and healthcare industry.
Speaking on the occasion, President of HKSCA Saeed Sheikh explained that goals and objectives of the association are not only to improve the educational, medical, humanitarian, cultural and business relationships between the two largest metropolis of the world, namely Houston and Karachi but also to enhance the ties between the countries through people-to-people contacts.
Jalil Abbas Jilani mentioned that with various reforms done by the Government of Pakistan, doing business is now more easy and lucrative. Pakistan is in need of energy and with abundance of Shale Energy Resources in Pakistan it provides an opportunity for the American Companies, especially from Texas to be engaged in the Shale Energy Sector. He added that associations like HKSCA have been playing vital role in improving the trade and people-to-people relationships between USA and Pakistan and it is very much appreciated.
In this grand luncheon event arranged by HKSCA, people from different facets of American society were in attendance, including Congressman Steve Stockman, Congressman AL Green, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Mayor Pro-Tam Ed Gonzales, Consul General of Pakistan Afzaal Mahmood, several high profile county and district Judges, and entrepreneurs from the field of export-import, healthcare and other industries.
Congressman AL Green informed that USAID has recently given $400 million to Pakistan in terms of aid for developmental projects. Indeed there is need to have increased trade with Pakistan as well together with any aid that is there for progressing the lives of common people of Pakistan. "I have several Pakistani-Americans Constituents; and working together with them, we can devise productive projects and programs for Pakistan. I pledge full support to HKSCA for their endeavour in linking a major Houston hospital with a salient hospital in Karachi through Tele-Medicine," added Congressman AL Green.