WASHINGTON: In his first public appearance on Saturday night, Pakistan’s new US ambassador Ali Jahangir Siddiqui urged all members of the Pakistani community living in the United States to participate in the country’s revival and re-emergence.

Mr Siddiqui, who presented his credentials to US President Donald Trump on Friday, said he was aware of the current status of the US-Pakistan relationship but he did not believe in conducting diplomacy through the media.

“Everyone needs to participate in Pakistan’s revival and re-emergence and we are well on our way towards it,” said Mr Siddiqui while telling the audience how a Latin American country, Colombia, faced the same challenges that Pakistan does but overcame them to become the region’s fourth largest economy.

Mr Siddiqui urged the Pakistani community to play its role in rebuilding Pakistan, instead of wasting their time in negative talk about their homeland.

“Work with us in order to get Pakistan back to where it once was,” he said, explaining how Pakistan was once seen as a strong emerging economy.

Sajid Tarar, a Republican politician of Pakistani origin who hosted the event, assured the ambassador of the community’s support in rebuilding the US-Pakistan relationship.

“The relationship is passing through a bad patch but if we work hard, we can put it back on the right track,” Mr Tarar said.

Mr Siddiqui was named the ambassador to the US on May 8, reached Washington on May 29, and presented his credentials on June 22.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

When medicine fails
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

When medicine fails

Between now and 2050, medical experts expect antibiotic resistance to kill 40m people worldwide.
Nawaz on India
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

Nawaz on India

Nawaz Sharif’s hopes of better ties with India can only be realised when New Delhi responds to Pakistan positively.
State of abuse
18 Nov, 2024

State of abuse

DESPITE censure from the rulers and society, and measures such as helplines and edicts to protect the young from all...
Football elections
17 Nov, 2024

Football elections

PAKISTAN football enters the most crucial juncture of its ‘normalisation’ era next week, when an Extraordinary...
IMF’s concern
17 Nov, 2024

IMF’s concern

ON Friday, the IMF team wrapped up its weeklong unscheduled talks on the Fund’s ongoing $7bn programme with the...
‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs
Updated 17 Nov, 2024

‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs

If curbing pornography is really the country’s foremost concern while it stumbles from one crisis to the next, there must be better ways to do so.