US vows to strengthen security,trade partnership with Pakistan

By -
Vedant Patel
The US Department of State denied that there were any rifts between Islamabad and Washington after the latter imposed sanctions on four commercial entities allegedly having links to the former's ballistic missile programme.

"Absolutely not. You’ve heard me say this before. Pakistan continues to be one of our most important partners in the region," said the State Department's principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press briefing on Thursday.

The spokesperson said that the US continues to have a "lot of cooperation" with Pakistan's government, especially in the security space and trade sector.

"This is a robust relationship and we’ll look to continue strengthening it," added Patel, when asked if there was something going on between Washington and Islamabad.

Last week, the US State Department imposed sanctions on four entities — three Chinese and one from Belarus — for reportedly supplying items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme.

However, following the US decision to impose sanctions, the Foreign Office (FO) rejected the “political use” of export control, saying that such listings had taken place in the past as well on allegations of links to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme without sharing any evidence.

FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Islamabad was not aware of the specifics of the latest measures by the US, adding that in the past they have come across many instances where listings have been made on mere suspicion or even when the involved items were not under any control lists but were deemed sensitive under catch-all provisions.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan had pointed out many times that such items have legitimate civil commercial uses. “It is, therefore, important to avoid arbitrary application of export controls.”

She said there was a need for discussions between relevant parties for an objective mechanism to ensure access to technology in pursuit of socio-economic development.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 11 dead, others injured after train catches fire near Rahim Yar Khan

By Admin -
Image
At least 11 passengers lost their lives and 30 others sustained burn injuries when three carriages of a Tezgam Express caught fire due to explosion in a gas stove, according to initial reports. Meanwhile, firefighters have initiated a rescue operation to extinguish the fire and other passengers are being evacuated from the train to safe places. The affected carriages are being separated from the train. The train, Tezgam, was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi, when a gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploded, leaving several dead and injured. The fire was caused by the explosion in a gas cylinder, confirmed the Pakistan Railways official. According to details, the passengers were cooking breakfast when the gas cylinder exploded. After the blast, the raging fire engulfed two other coaches as well. Fire fighters were still extinguishing the fire as per last reports.
Read more

Three soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Zarghoon

By -
Image
As many as three soldiers embraced martyrdom and one terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in Zarghun, the area of Balochistan on Saturday. According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an operation was launched in the area against suspected terrorists who attacked a security post. “Troops on the post retaliated readily to the fire raid thereby, pushing back the terrorists,” stated the military’s media wing. In the ensuing exchange of fire, three soldiers were martyred while one terrorist was also killed. The military identified the martyred soldiers as Sepoy Zaheer Ahmed, Sepoy Mudassir Shaheed and Lance Naik Abdul Qadeer. The ISPR stated that the post had recently been established to “check extortion efforts targeting coal mines in the area”. “Based on follow-up ISR effort, likely hideout of fleeing terrorists has been identified in nearby mountains and a deliberate blocking and sanitisation op...
Read more

Legal process to try May 9 planners, perpetrators under army act begins: COAS

By -
Image
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said that the legal process of trial against planners, instigators, abettors and perpetrators involved in the May 9 mayhem has commenced under Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act as per existing and established legal procedures derived from the Constitution. The army chief's statement came as he visited Jinnah House and an army installation in Lahore, which were blatantly attacked and vandalised by “politically motivated” rioters, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a handout. The COAS was also given a briefing on events of May 9 dubbed by the military as ‘Black Day’ — the day when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters ransacked and torched military installations across the country following the arrest of their leader Imran Khan in a graft case. Addressing the garrison officers and soldiers at Corps Headquarters, Gen Munir emphasised that any action aimed at widening a gulf between people and the milita...
Read more