Democracy getting stronger under Nawaz, says Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that democracy in Pakistan was being strengthened under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Allaying earlier apprehensions about the meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Obama, no reference was made to a nuclear deal but the two leaders spoke of further strengthening ties between their countries in various spheres and ensuring a durable partnership.
Thursday’s meeting was the high point of the four-day visit of Prime Minister Nawaz to the United States and lasted for about 100 minutes.
The joint statement issued at the end of the meeting stated that the two leaders affirmed their common resolve to continue working together to address the issues of greatest interest to both the nations. Building on the foundation of the Enhanced Partnership for Pakistan Act, President Obama reiterated his commitment to comprehensive bilateral cooperation through both the public and private sectors into the future. The leaders committed to fostering a deeper, stronger, multi-dimensional partnership based on mutual respect, trust and understanding to cooperatively tackle the global challenges of the 21st Century.
The joint statement also called upon Pakistan and India to resolve their issues, including the core issue of Kashmir, through talks.
Earlier, Nawaz Sharif and Obama expressed their determination to further strengthen and solidify their multi-faceted ties. Obama, welcoming Nawaz Sharif for a bilateral meeting here at the White House, said the US and Pakistan have strong and longstanding ties and cooperation in a host of areas including trade and the economy and “not just on security”.
He said the meeting with the prime minister will prove to be an opportunity to further deepen and solidify these relations. President Obama also mentioned the presence of a strong Pakistani American community in the US as a source of strength for furthering the relations between the two countries.
Nawaz Sharif thanked President Obama for the generous hospitality provided to him and his delegation and invited him for an official visit to Pakistan. He said Pakistan and the United States enjoy strong relations and his endeavour was to strengthen these ties.
The prime minister said he looks forward to a “constructive engagement” with President Obama. Earlier, upon arrival at the White House Prime Minister Sharif was given a warm welcome. US Vice President Joe Biden was also present in the White House when Nawaz arrived to have a meeting with the president.
Meanwhile, the joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said that at the invitation of President Obama, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid an official visit to Washington from October 20 to 23, 2015 that reinforced the commitment of both leaders to an enduring US-Pakistan partnership, a prosperous Pakistan and a more stable region.
It said President Obama and Nawaz Sharif held wide-ranging discussions at the White House. “The two leaders expressed their conviction that a resilient US-Pakistan partnership is vital to regional and global peace and security and reaffirmed their commitment toaddress evolving threats in South Asia,” it said.
The statement said that Obama and Nawaz reaffirmed that a mutual commitment to democracy is a key pillar of the US-Pakistan partnership. Obama commended Nawaz Sharif’s leadership in strengthening and consolidating Pakistan’s democratic institutions. Building on this progress, President Obama and Nawaz Sharif expressed their desire to expand the bilateral relationship in areas outside the traditional security realm in recognition of the multifaceted issues facing both countries, including trade and investment; education, science and technology; clean, efficient and affordable energy; efforts to counter climate change; economic growth; regional integration; rule of law; people-to-people and cultural ties; and support for democratic principles.
President Obama underscored the importance of Pakistan’s role as one of the largest Muslim democracies, in using its influence in support of peace, security, development and human rights around the world. Both leaders committed to build on the ongoing US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue to advance progress in these and other areas. The two leaders emphasised the need to maintain the positive momentum in promoting people-to-people contacts and parliamentary exchanges. They also acknowledged the important role played by the Pakistani Diaspora in the United States and the contributions that this community has traditionally made in strengthening the bilateral relationship.
The joint statement said that the president and prime minister affirmed that economic growth in Pakistan provides the surest foundation for the prosperity of its people and security of the region. President Obama commended Pakistan’s reform programme, which has re-established macroeconomic stability through a combination of prudent fiscal and monetary policies, the rebuilding of foreign exchange reserves, and continuing reforms in the energy sector. The prime minister reaffirmed his commitment to consolidate economic gains and to continue to implement his government’s reform agenda, including the government’s commitment to complete the set of home grown reforms that is being supported by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other multilateral financial institutions.
The two sides indicated their intent to continue robust macroeconomic cooperation through the Economic and Finance Working Group as an element of the Strategic Dialogue. It said that the leaders reaffirmed that the United States and Pakistan have a mutual interest in expanding bilateral trade and investment. President Obama indicated that the United States will help Pakistan create conditions for accelerated trade and investment-driven growth. The leaders noted the reauthorisation of the General System of Preferences (GSP) programme and acknowledged the importance of the US-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) process. Nawaz reiterated the importance of market access for Pakistan as the most effective, mutually beneficial and durable form of bilateral economic partnership. The leaders recognised the success of the Joint Action Plan to expand trade and investment, established after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s 2013 visit and acknowledged their intent to augment the plan. President Obama conveyed that Pakistani companies are eligible to participate in the US Department of Defence procurement opportunities related to operations in Afghanistan, in accordance with the US law and regulation, and encouraged Pakistan to pursue accession to the General Procurement Agreement of the World Trade Organisation. The leaders also noted the US-Pakistan Memorandum of Understanding on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, signed at the 2014 TIFA, which includes the efforts of the US-Pakistan Women’s Council. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing economic connectivity between Pakistan and its neighbours to promote regional prosperity. The president reaffirmed the US support for the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000) electricity corridor, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project, and other measures to enhance regional economic connectivity and growth. President Obama welcomed Pakistan’s accession to the TIR Convention, which could facilitate trade throughout the region. Both leaders acknowledged that strengthening Pakistan’s trade and transit ties with its neighbours is needed to promote prosperity in Pakistan and the region. Obama and Nawaz emphasised the value of investing in higher and basic education. Reflecting this, the US and Pakistan re-instituted an Education, Science and Technology Working Group under the bilateral Strategic Dialogue, and in June, launched three university centres for advanced studies in agriculture, energy, and water research. This is in addition to 19 existing university partnerships between the US and Pakistani institutions and the highest-funded Fulbright Scholarship programme in the world. Welcoming the establishment of the “US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor” in June 2015, the two leaders directed their respective governments to intensify cooperation within this important framework in consonance with the priorities set out in Pakistan’s Vision 2025. In the near term, the two governments intend to double joint funding for a new round of research grants under the US-Pakistan Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. The joint statement said that building on important cooperation in basic education to date, the leaders welcomed the launch of the Let Girls Learn Initiative in Pakistan, a global effort led by the United States, which will provide 200,000 Pakistani girls access to education and the tools they need to succeed in life. The president commended Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to education as a priority, demonstrated through the doubling of Pakistan’s higher education budget since 2013 and the government’s goal of doubling expenditures for education from two percent to four percent of gross domestic product by 2018.
The leaders recognised the importance of civil society to the fundamental health and stability of all democratic societies. International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and civil society groups can contribute toward the promotion of Pakistan’s national development goals and can complement the work of the government to address the needs of the underprivileged populations, promote human rights, and strengthen democratic governance.
The prime minister mentioned that recently issued policy guidelines were intended by the Government of Pakistan to facilitate the functioning of INGOs, and further stated that these guidelines will be reviewed and implemented in consultation with all stakeholders. The president noted that policy guidelines governing INGOs should be transparent and consistent with international norms so as to facilitate the important work of these organisations. President Obama reaffirmed the US commitment to strong cooperation in the energy sector.
The leaders announced the formation of a new US-Pakistan Clean Energy Partnership, based on the initial work of the April 2015 Energy Working Group under the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. At its core, the partnership aims to facilitate private sector investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, including generation, transmission, and distribution. Through the partnership, the United States and Pakistan will cooperate to: attract local and international investment; develop an investment plan for expanding the role of clean energy systems; expand transmission capacity through selected infrastructure projects; and mobilize development financing to help attract private sector investments in hydropower, wind, solar, and natural gas projects. The two leaders noted their cooperation in the development of Pakistan’s domestic oil and gas resources and liquefied natural gas sectors.
Obama expressed support for Pakistan’s efforts to secure funding for the Diamer-Bhasha and Dasu dams to help meet Pakistan’s energy and water needs. Obama and Nawaz expressed their commitment to press for an ambitious agreement on climate change at the Paris Climate Conference in December.