Pakistan needs trade with US, not aid: Jalil Abbas Jilani
A luncheon meeting was arranged by the Houston Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA).
HOUSTON (Web Desk) - Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has said that Pakistan does not need aid but trade with the US.
Few days back, addressing a luncheon meeting arranged in his honor by the Houston Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA), he said, “We need market access to USA for our wonderful textile, surgical instruments, food, and other products. Our relationships with USA that had seen slight down turns, have considerably improved with the start of the ongoing strategic dialogues and formation of working committees on terrorism, security, energy, trade, education & science, and other”.
Around seventy eminent personalities from various spheres of life were present, including political, business, academic, and healthcare industry.
Speaking on the occasion, President of HKSCA Saeed Sheikh explained that goals and objectives of the association were not only to improve the educational, medical, humanitarian, cultural, and business relationships between the two largest metropolis of the world, namely Houston and Karachi but also to enhance the ties between the countries through people to people contact.
Highlighting the various ongoing projects and several accomplishments of HKSCA, Saeed Sheikh thanked the Consul General of Pakistan Afzaal Mahmood and Commercial Attaché Syed Fawad Shah for their guidance and assistance in accomplishing various projects.
Jalil Abbas Jilani mentioned that with various reforms done by the Government of Pakistan, doing business was now more easy and lucrative. Pakistan is in need of energy and with abundance of Shale Energy Resources in Pakistan, it provides an opportunity for the American Companies, especially from Texas to be engaged in the Shale Energy Sector.
He added that associations like HKSCA have been playing vital role in improving the trade and people-to-people relationships between USA and Pakistan and it is very much appreciated.
In this grand luncheon event arranged by HKSCA, people from different facets of American society were in attendance, including Congressman Steve Stockman,
Congressman AL Green, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Mayor Pro-Tam Ed Gonzales, Consul General of Pakistan Afzaal Mahmood, several high profile county and district Judges, and entrepreneurs from the field of export-import, healthcare, & other industries.
Congressman AL Green informed that USAID has recently given $400 Million to Pakistan in terms of aid for developmental projects. Indeed there is need to have increased trade with Pakistan as well together with any aid that is there for progressing the lives of common people of Pakistan. "I have several Pakistani-Americans Constituents; and working together with them, we can devise productive projects & programs for Pakistan. I pledge full support to HKSCA for their endeavor in linking a major Houston hospital with a salient hospital in Karachi through Tele-Medicine," added Congressman AL Green.
Jalil Abbas Jilani received Congressional Certificate from Congressman AL Green, and Honorary Citizenship Certificate from Mayor Pro-Tam Ed Gonzales on behalf of the City of Houston. Sheriff Garcia gave him the coveted Sheriff Cap and Pin, while Former City Councilperson Masrur Javed Khan, Member of Board of Directors of HKSCA, gave special plaque of recognition for Ambassadors’ meritorious towards strong Pakistan-US relations.
It must be noted that Jalil Abbas Jilani has been an accomplished career diplomat, who assumed his responsibilities as Ambassador of Pakistan to the U.S. in January, 2014.
