WASHINGTON, Aug 1: A week after the US visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, senior administration officials here are avoiding the use of term “reset” to describe the new bonhomie in the bilateral ties, noting that the visit demonstrated that the two countries can do more in areas of overlapping interests.
“Reset is a loaded term,” a senior State Department official said in response to a question that before the visit, a section of the media reported that they were seeking a reset of the relationship.
“What I think the visit demonstrated that the more we work together in areas of overlapping interests such as peace in Afghanistan, the door opens to broader and deeper cooperation,” the official said.
In a readout, more than a week after the visit of the Pakistani premiere, the official said the two countries looked for ways to enhance investment in trade, adding that the visit resulted in the broadening of the relationship. “We will look for a trade delegation to PakistanÂ… further engagement through our trade and investment framework agreement will help attract more American companies to Pakistan,” the official said.
Pakistan, the official observed, was taking steps, whether it was the seizure of assets, closure or taking over the administration of certain madrassas or detention of individuals like Hafiz Saeed.
The State Department official added, “I think the visit demonstrated that the quality, warmth, breadth and the depth of the relationship is going to be a function of our ability to work together on the most important national security issues.”
Obviously, the issue was regional stability and peace, the official insisted.
However, the official said there was “more to be done” to grow the relationship.
“The US President has made it made clear that he has ambitions for the relationship. There are many ways. Our publics and business communities can benefit from improved relations,” the official said.
The visit of Imran Khan, said the official, set of consultations about their ability to move forward.
“The speed that we move forward will certainly be a function of the cooperation we achieve,” said the official. (PTI)
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