WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Ali Jahangir Siddiqui says Pakistan has chalked out a 15-month time frame to come out of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.
In an interview with a foreign media outlet, he said his main focus has been on promoting trade and economic ties with Washington.
Mr. Siddiqui said Pakistan has development cooperation with China, adding that both China and the US are equally important for it.
To a question, he said terrorist activities in Pakistan have decreased by 80 per cent and ruled out any specific talks with Washington for resumption of military aid that it had suspended in January this year accusing Islamabad of supporting the very militants its forces are fighting in Afghanistan.
The ambassador said importing more US natural gas is key to diversifying his nation’s energy supply while expanding trade relations.
He said: “buying more liquefied natural gas from the US will allow Pakistan to bolster its exports while maintaining fairness and parity that his country and President Donald Trump’s administration seek.”
“Pakistan is on its way to becoming one of the world’s largest gas importers, and the US is well on its way to becoming the world’s largest LNG exporter,” Siddiqui added.
He said a major energy shortage has hobbled Pakistan’s economy, including textiles that are its prime export. Over time, more energy could help Pakistan produce more exports from agriculture to software, he added.
Speaking of the war-torn Afghanistan, Mr. Siddiqui said Pakistan is working on a second portion of a fence at its border with its neighbor.
The fence is a clear sign of his country’s interest in ending the regional conflict and will help Pakistan and Afghanistan equally in doing so, he added.
