US policy on Pakistan won’t change with Trump’s victory: Hale

ISLAMABAD: The United States Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said on Wednesday that the US policy on Pakistan will not change after success of Donald Trump in the presidential election.

In a statement, the US ambassador said Pakistan and the US are trade partners and relations between the two countries are not merely confined to one sector. He said no change is expected in the US policy on Pakistan with Trump coming to power.

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds: Taking the lead in congratulating US President-elect Donald Trump among his cabinet colleagues, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar has expressed hope that the ties of the two countries would strengthen further during Trump administration. He was guest of honour on Wednesday at the mix of celebration of National Day cum Election Day of the United States at the residence of US Ambassador David Hale in the US diplomatic compound situated in the middle of Diplomatic Enclave.

The Americans traditionally celebrate their National Day on July 4; the US embassy chose to hold its reception in November to emphasise the importance of elections and the democratic process in American culture. The host ambassador recalled on the occasion that at the White House last year, President Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reaffirmed that a mutual commitment to democracy is a key pillar of the US-Pakistan partnership.

“Today we are here to watch our democracy in action,” the ambassador added who earlier cut the ceremonial cake with Senator Ishaq Dar. He spoke to the media representatives briefly. About one thousand guests gathered at the US embassy on breakfast for a National Day celebration and to view the results of the US presidential election.

Representatives from the diplomatic corps, government officials, businesses, and civil society watched live television coverage of the US elections and also enjoyed a performance of jazz tunes by renowned Lahore-based musical ensemble Sachal Studios.

“We enjoyed the opportunity to introduce our fellow Pakistanis to American jazz through our performance today,” said Sachal Studios superstar Nafees Khan. “Throughout our career as an ensemble, we have found music is one of the best mediums to communicate and share new ideas between people from different cultures and backgrounds.”