Islamabad: Pakistan President Arif Alvi has said that the present government, like its predecessors, is trying to improve relations with the US and sought help from Pakistani Americans in this regard, Dawn reported on Sunday.
“Pakistan belongs to all and all parties when in power, have tried to maintain close relations with the United States,” the president told the annual convention of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA).
Alvi said that as he has lived in the US, he knew that Pakistani Americans maintained close personal and professional relations with other US citizens and urged them to use these relations to help Pakistan, remove misgivings, and lobby for their homeland. “Reach out to your congressmen, women, and senators and explain to them why Pakistan is important. Why it cannot be ignored.”
He pointed out that abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan has caused “heartburn and misgivings” as Americans tried to understand how Kabul fell.
The president said that on such matters, the Pakistani community should stay united and should not allow political differences to hurt key national interests.
But when a journalist suggested that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegation of American interference in Pakistan’s domestic politics has undermined such efforts, he was silenced by PTI supporters who dominated the crowd. They also prevented the president from responding to his remarks.
However, responding to a question about the diplomatic cable detailing the alleged US conspiracy to topple Imran Khan, the president said he has already referred the matter to the judicial commission and now the commission should play its part.
The president said that all governments have tried to fix the economy but unfortunately “We have not been very successful on this.”
