ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Founder Chairman Pak-US Business Council and Chairman United Business Group Iftikhar Ali Malik Wednesday while felicitating Donald Trump for his electoral victory, urged him to play a leading role in issues such as boosting the economy, solving climate change and improving relations with the developing countries especially Pakistan.
“Pakistan business community has the pleasure of extending its warm congratulations to Donald Trump on his election as president of the United States of America and urge him to play a leading role in issues such as boosting the economy, solving climate change and improving relations with the developing countries especially Pakistan,” Malik said in a statement issued here Wednesday.
He said that in this new era, we hope that newly elected president of USA will acknowledge and appreciate Pakistan’s sincere efforts and colossal sacrifices in the war against terrorism.
He said that the United States was an important partner of Pakistan in all areas especially in the spheres of economy, defence and counter-terrorism.
He said that Pakistan looked at its relations with the US `as a partnership’ which was in the interest of the two countries, the region and the world.
He was of the view that Donald Trump will understand the role of Muslims shaping the modern America who were part of the US from its very beginning, adding that Trump by giving Muslims the honour of serving America would follow this American principle that a person did not have to be of a certain religion or to have a particular ethnic background to be an American patriot.
He said that the US must make clear its enduring commitment to Pakistan’s stability and economic growth and this is only possible if America plays its role to solve the issue of Kashmir and maintained that no durable progress is possible until peace restored in South Asia.
He said that the US and Pakistan should expand cooperation on the 2013 Joint Action Plan on Trade and Investment as the United States remains Pakistan’s largest bilateral export market and a significant source of foreign direct investment.
He said the United States is Pakistan’s largest bilateral trading partner as in 2015, the United States accounted for approximately 16 percent of Pakistan’s exports, the second largest market behind the European Union, and $1.20 billion of its imports.
Bilateral trade between the United States and Pakistan exceeded $5.1 billion in FY 2015 while the US is also one of the top sources of foreign direct investment to Pakistan, with $209 million in 2015.
