By Wajid Ali Syed in The News, October 07, 2023
WASHINGTON: A number of US lawmakers, during their meetings with the Pakistani ambassador, have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen Pak-US ties by expanding the scope of current cooperation in different areas including trade, investment, renewable energy, climate change, and regional security. Last week, Ambassador Masood Khan met Senator Bill Hagerty, Senator Jon Ossoff, Representative Jim Banks, Co-Chair Pakistan Congressional Caucus, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Ranking Member House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Representative Jason Crow.
According to a statement sent out by Pakistan’s embassy here, the Ambassador also wrote “letters to scores of US lawmakers thanking them for their resolute support during the recent vote in the House that rejected a proposed amendment to prohibit assistance to Pakistan under the State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations (SFOPS) Act 2024.”
“We appreciate your intercession and counsel that ensured that the vote against the amendment enjoyed bi-partisan support,” wrote the Ambassador in his letter according to the embassy statement adding that he also said that “the assistance for earmarked under SFOPS would go to critical areas of cooperation including economic support, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, military education training and health programs.”
In his meetings the Ambassador discussed ways to further strengthen Pak-US relations with a focus on cementing ties in trade and investment, energy and counter-terrorism; as well as regional situation. Masood Khan also met Ranking Member House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and discussed Pak-US cooperation in defence, science and technology, education, renewable energy, climate change, and people to people linkages, the embassy statement said. Representative Jason Crow in his post on X- formerly Twitter said that strengthening cooperation on regional security, Afghanistan, and economic development was discussed during the meeting.
Separately, the Ambassador also thanked US Congressman Mike McCaul, Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Chairperson Congressional Pakistan Caucus, Congressman Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Congressman Lance Gooden (R-Texas) for their strong support to Pakistan in foiling a move aimed at prohibiting assistance to Pakistan under the State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations (SFOPS) Act 2024.
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