Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Mr. Tariq Fatemi at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs addressed a select gathering of prominent US scholars, researchers and policy planner, members of think tanks, congressional staffers and administration officials at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), on “Pakistan’s regional challenges: a view from Islamabad”. Mr. Daniel Markey, Daniel S. Markey Adjunct Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations moderated the event.

Mr. Fatemi provided a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s political, security and developmental challenges and elaborated the steps being taken to address those challenges. He stated that Pakistan is committed to fighting terrorism and extremism in the country and promoting cooperative relationship with all countries of the region including Afghanistan and India. He further stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan were closely cooperating on security, counter- terrorism and developmental issues. In this regards, Pakistan’s role in the Afghan reconciliation process had been appreciated by the international community including the United States. He further hoped that India would respond positively to Pakistan’s proposals to settle all outstanding issues including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue.

During the interactive session, the Special Assistant responded to various questions related to different aspects of Pakistan’s foreign policy including India, Afghanistan, Middle East and China. He also gave an upbeat assessment of Pakistan’s relations with the United States and underscored that a strong Pakistan-US relations is essential for the peace and development of the region.

July 23, 2015
Washington DC