Crisis-hit Pakistan has reportedly urged the United States to restore military financing and sales, which was earlier suspended by former US President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s envoy to US Masood Khan, while addressing a seminar in Washington, said: “It is important that the US restores, for Pakistan, Foreign Military Financing and Foreign Military Sales, suspended by the previous administration.”
Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US-Pakistan relationship has been stuck in a prolonged period of uncertainty. And, now with the rivalry between US and China, Pakistan’s relations with America have strained and also damaged the country’s deteriorating economy.
US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Elizabeth Horst, who was also at the event, stressed the rebuilding of the crisis-hit Pakistani economy and urged Islamabad to work in tandem with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reported Dawn.
“The reforms that Pakistan and the IMF agreed to are not easy,” she said, adding, “But it’s crucial that Pakistan take these actions to bring the country back to sound financial footing, avoid falling into further debt, and grow Pakistan’s economy.”
Washington has asked Islamabad to adopt the ‘severe changes’ agreed upon with the IMF.
The recent rise in high-level diplomatic engagements and dialogues came as a blessing to Pakistan in terms of recreating its ties with the US.
The half-day conference at Wilson Centre, Washington, highlighted how the US-Pakistan relationship can be rebuilt again against several challenging situations.
While replying to a question, Ambassador Khan said Pakistan placed its first order for Russian oil and it took that decision after consulting with the US government. He further mentioned Pakistan’s role in creating stability in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan’s stability is imperative, first and foremost, for its own people who have suffered grievously over the past four decades,” Dawn quoted Khan as saying.
Source : Business Today