Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh chairs conference of Consul Generals of Pakistan

WASHINGTON, Sep 16 (SABAH): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh chaired a day long Conference of Consul Generals at the Embassy. The Conference was held to deliberate on key issues related to community engagement, improved service delivery, consular services, and the way forward in enhancing economic ties with the United States.

The marathon session, which lasted for over six hours, was attended by Pakistan’s Consul Generals in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York. Trade and commercial officers from the respective Consulates were also present.

The Consul Generals apprised the Ambassador of the services being provided to the Pakistani community in their jurisdictions including visas, passports, and other consular services. The meeting discussed in detail various challenges reported by applicants due to certain systemic issues and constraints. It was decided to approach relevant federal and provincial government departments to find solutions to these issues.

The meeting also explored the possibility of extending biometric verification facilities for land transfers, vehicle sales, and bank account verifications. “The Pakistani community is our biggest asset. It is the most enduring link in Pak-US relations,” said Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.

“We should make every possible effort to reach out to our people in the length and breadth of United States and resolve their issues,” he continued. “We must accelerate efforts to organize our community, especially professional organizations, so that they can play a greater role in their respective areas of operation”, he added.

The Ambassador also highlighted new initiatives taken by the government to ease the visa regime, especially for businesses and tourism, and stressed that maximum awareness should be created about these initiatives. Trade Officers provided a comprehensive briefing on ongoing efforts to promote bilateral trade, detailing steps taken to introduce Pakistani products and connect businesses with potential partners in the United States. Ambassador Sheikh emphasized the necessity of attracting investment in priority areas, particularly in self-sustaining businesses that have the potential to create job opportunities for the youth.

Ambassador Sheikh stressed that the specific trade requirements of each U.S. state should be explored, with the goal of connecting each sector with its counterparts in Pakistan. He noted that existing sister-state and sister-city agreements provided good models not only to strengthen economic interactions but also to establish similar linkages with other U.S. states for mutual benefit. He also pointed out that Pakistan’s tech-savvy youth were well-positioned to provide IT solutions to companies across the United States at much more affordable rates. Similarly, Pakistan could also help meet the demand for pharmacists and nurses in the United States, he added.

The meeting further discussed Pak-US cooperation in the education sector and ongoing efforts to strengthen existing collaboration.

The conference concluded with a renewed commitment to actively engage the community, improve service delivery, and promote people-to-people ties, especially by fostering business linkages.