Pakistan Wants Strong Relations with US, But it Shouldn’t Be Judged by China Ties: Ishaq Dar

New York: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan wants strong relations with the United States, but these relations should not be viewed in the context of friendship with China.

Addressing the Pakistani community in New York, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that due to government efforts, there has been significant improvement in the economy. He added that the government saved the country from default, brought improvements in economic indicators over three years, witnessed remarkable growth in GDP, and foreign exchange reserves are continuously increasing.

He said, “Economic stability has arrived in the country, inflation rates have decreased significantly, and all international financial institutions acknowledge Pakistan’s economic progress. Our goal is to include Pakistan in the G20.”

He further stated, “The vote of no confidence was a difficult decision that we took for the sake of the country. Had the PTI government remained for six more months, the country would have defaulted. We have buried the threat of default.”

Ishaq Dar said, “Diplomatically, Pakistan is also very active at the moment. Pakistan was almost isolated at the diplomatic level; no one used to come to us, nor did we get invitations, but today we are active all over the world.”

He informed, “After almost nine years, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the United States have met. There was a detailed exchange of views on bilateral matters during the meeting. He told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Pakistan wants strong relations with the US, but these relations should not be seen in the context of the Pakistan-China partnership.”

The foreign minister said, “Pakistan is determined to completely eradicate the cancer of terrorism from the country. During his visit to Afghanistan, all matters were discussed. Pakistan told Afghanistan not to allow its territory to be used against Pakistan. We are well-wishers of Afghanistan and want their development and prosperity.”

The Deputy Prime Minister said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan is achieving diplomatic successes. Pakistan wants peaceful resolutions to conflicts worldwide.”

He said, “Pakistan is a peace-loving country and believes in peaceful coexistence. We respect the regional integrity and sovereignty of every nation.”

Commenting on the war with India, Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan gave a strong response to Indian aggression and shattered India’s arrogance by shooting down Rafale jets.

He said that in response to the Pulwama incident, “India took certain actions, and Pakistan responded similarly. After the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, we closed our airspace to India. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered India international investigations regarding the Pulwama incident.”

He added, “We have exposed Indian propaganda to the world and that India’s panic has not yet ended.”

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