Zeeshaan Shah hosted a dinner reception at Islamabad’s Marriott hotel in honour of US-Pakistani business leaders following the United States Agency for International Development US-Pakistani Diaspora Conference.
The event was attended by Federal Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar Shah, US Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Schofer, Senator Mushahid Husain Sayed, Member of National Assembly Ali Musa Gillani, CEO of Supplyside Group Junaid Ansar, CEO of Radiant Group Anwar Aman, and CEO of Jazz Aamir Ibrahim, along with civil and business leaders from across Pakistan and the United States.
Speaking at the event, Shah said, “The US is a very important partner for Pakistan, as our largest export market and greatest supporter of humanitarian causes. Whether it was the 60 million-plus doses of life-saving Covid vaccines or the world’s highest monetary support in Pakistan’s recent flood crises, the US has always taken the lead in supporting Pakistan, and the diaspora plays a key role in this.”
Recognising the investment agreements signed earlier in the day, Chairman One Group added, “In another show of their unwavering support, diaspora investors today announced in excess of $60 million worth of new investments in Pakistan. Looking across this room, I can see friends who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into Pakistan over the years, and it’s not only the capital and the jobs they create, but the American principles of innovation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship that they teach Pakistan’s youth that are so valuable for us. Tonight’s dinner is to recognise you and appreciate your support for Pakistan.”
Federal Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar Shah thanked Mr. Shah for providing this opportunity to the US-Pakistani business leaders to share their thoughts on strengthening the relations between the two countries.
Expressing his hopes for a positive future, Senator Mushahid Husain Sayed said that Pakistan is a very resilient country. It is multi-faceted and diverse, and there is still room for improvement in commerce, culture, connectivity, education, science, and technology. He further added, “I’m very happy that Pakistan-America relations are finally taking a different trajectory. Pakistan was alluded to by the vision of our founding fathers, and this vision was enunciated by two of them through the channel of communication with the United States of America.”
While addressing the importance of the US-Pakistani diaspora, Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Schofer said, “It gives me immense pleasure to address this audience of esteemed leaders. This is a perfect conclusion to a very timely conference that our USAID colleagues have organised for the diaspora leadership. The Pakistani diaspora, especially those living in the United States, share knowledge, connections, and passions across borders. Pakistan is the fifth-largest recipient of remittances worldwide, a testament to just how critical the diaspora is to the development of this country. I’m very impressed by the conversations today to see how deeply and widely the US-Pakistani diaspora have contributed and invested in Pakistan over the years. The US government is also committed to helping Pakistan achieve its development goals, and we consider the US-Pakistani diaspora an essential partner in that endeavour.”
Schofer concluded by saying that, “This conference hopefully will pave the way forward for continuous engagement and meetings like this that can help us all proceed with the development goals”. He also thanked Zeeshaan Shah for hosting the dinner.