Time to hit 'reset' on Pak-US relations: Ahsan Iqbal.

ISLAMABAD -- Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that it was time to hit 'reset' on Pak-US relations in the economic and development domain.

Addressing a roundtable hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on 'Pakistan-US Relations - looking forward', the minister said that the shared values and aspirations for democracy, rule of law and diversity were natural bonds between the people of Pakistan and the United States, and provided a solid base to transform their existing relationship into a robust developmental partnership.

Discussing Pak-US bilateral cooperation, Iqbal highlighted education, healthcare, energy, technology, agriculture, food security, and climate change as the key areas for greater collaboration between the two countries.

On regional situation, he said that Pakistan was a key stakeholder in regional peace and stability. The minister said that the situation in Afghanistan had direct bearings on Pakistan and therefore Islamabad advocates 'proactive engagement of the international community to mitigate humanitarian crisis' in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The minister also highlighted the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and stressed the need for the international community, the United States and other 'champions of human rights across the globe' to take cognizance of the situation.

The participants also interacted with Iqbal and discussed a host of issues, including Pakistan's political and economic situation.

In a meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Ms Antoinette M Sayeh, Iqbal appreciated the recent staff-level agreement between the IMF and the government.

He also underscored Pakistan's continued commitment to the programme and apprised the Fund of the difficult economic and fiscal decisions taken by the government as its priority is the economic stability of the country, which would lead to the socio-economic development of the people.

Iqbal further expressed...

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