Newsletter July 2021
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JULY 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS AMBASSADOR’S MESSAGE 4 44TH ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICIANS OF PAKISTANI DESCENT OF NORTH AMERICA (APPNA) CONVENTION 5 Prime Minister addresses the 44th APPNA Convention 5 Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Health leads discussion on the role of APPNA in Pakistan 6 PRIME MINISTER IN U.S. MEDIA 7 Interview with Judy Woodruff, PBS Newshour 7 PAKISTAN-U.S. RELATIONS 8 Foreign Minister speaks with U.S. Secretary of State 8 Pakistan gets 3M doses of Moderna vaccine under COVAX 8 CLIMATE CHANGE 9 Pakistan at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 9 EMBASSY EVENTS 10 Embassy hosts Governor State Bank of Pakistan 10 THINK TANK EVENTS 11 Ambassador discusses ‘The Next Chapter in U.S.-Pakistan Relations’ at the United States Institute of Peace 11 CONGRESSIONAL OUTREACH 12 Ambassador holds a virtual meeting with Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) 12 ADVOCACY AND MEDIA OUTREACH 13 Ambassador holds lunch meeting with members of the U.S. Media 13 How the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan affects Pakistan | Ambassador’s interview with NPR 14 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) Pakistan stands for resuming Afghan Peace Process as Taliban make territorial gains - Ambassador’s speaks with the Associated Press of Pakistan 15 Ambassador gives an interview to Capital TV 15 AMBASSADOR VISITS HOUSTON, TEXAS 16 Ambassador meets with members of The House of Representatives 16 Ambassador inaugurates NADRA Center at Pakistan Consulate General in Houston 17 Ambassador speaks at Asia Society Texas 18 Meeting with ‘Greater Houston Partnership’ CEO & delegation 19 Ambassador attends the Pakistani Legacy Foundation Gala Dinner 20 The Ismaili Council for the Southwestern U.S. hosts the Ambassador 21 Consul General Houston hots a reception in honour of Ambassador Khan 22 PAKISTAN IN U.S. 23 Pakistani artisans display at Winternatinal 23 BEYOND THE HEADLINES 24 President Joe Biden appoints Khizr Khan to Religious Freedom Board 24 Bilal Lakhani wins prestigious ‘PR 40 under 40’ award by PR Week 24 ‘Image Pakistan’ goes live on Amazon 25 Pakistan ranks as the cheapest country to live in 25 Fatima Changezi becomes first female officer to join Pakistan Navy 26 Pakistani swimmer breaks national record at Tokyo Olympics 26 Pakistani mountaineer becomes first asian to summit Mount Kilimanjaro within 24 hours 27 Haniya Monhas becomes first girl from Pakistan to win Asian Tennis Federation 14 & Under 28 3 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. AMBASSADOR’S MESSAGE Dear friends, High-level bilateral engagements between Pakistan and US continued during July. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The two sides committed to forging a stable and sustainable Pak-US partnership. Federal Minister and Adviser to Prime Minister for Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam met US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on the sidelines of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in London. The highlight of our media engagement was Prime Minister Imran Khan’s interview on PBS NewsHour. Conveying our view point on different regional and international issues, the Prime Minister underscored the importance for an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan. I also held background4 briefings with journalists from major media outlets and spoke at USIP in Washington DC and Asia Society in Texas. We continued our engagements at the Hill. This included my virtual meeting with Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) and meetings with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Al Green (D-TX) and Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) during my visit to Houston, Texas. Availing these opportunities, I underscored Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics to leverage its location and connectivity infrastructure to promote regional integration and economic growth. I underlined Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral cooperation with the US in energy, agriculture, and technology sectors. Dr. Reza Baqir, Governor State Bank of Pakistan visited US during this month. The embassy held a reception in his honor during which he spoke about Roshan Digital Account, the status of Pakistan’s economic recovery and highlighted the priority that the Government attached to the overseas Pakistanis. My visit to Orlando, Florida and Houston Texas provided me an opportunity to interact with members of Congress, our diaspora and the business community. I also attended the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) Convention in Orlando and conveyed my deep appreciation for APPNA member’s outstanding contributions in the U.S. and Pakistan, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Imran Khan surprised the audience by virtually joining the convention. During the APPNA Convention in Orlando, Governor State Bank Dr. Raza Baqir and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health. Dr. Faisal Sultan held an illuminating discussion on APPNA’s role in Pakistan. The Pakistan-US cooperation on Covid-19 continued under COVAX. The US donated 3 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan, which brought the total doses donated by the US through COVAX to 5.5 million. We expect to have a busy month ahead in August. Happy Independence Day! 4 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. 44TH APPNA CONVENTION PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES THE 44TH APPNA CONVENTION Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the 44th Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) Convention virtually in Orlando, Florida. In his remarks, Prime Minister described overseas Pakistanis as Pakistan’s “biggest asset” and APPNA as the “most influential Overseas Pakistani organization”. Prime Minister invited APPNA to contribute more proactively to improve Pakistan’s health system. Ambassador Dr. Asad M. Khan also attended the Convention and thanked APPNA members for their outstanding healthcare contributions in the U.S. and Pakistan, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. WATCH PRIME MINISTER’S SPEECH HERE. 5 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. 44TH APPNA CONVENTION SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRIME MINISTER ON HEALTH LEADS DISCUSSION ON THE ROLE OF APPNA IN PAKISTAN Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan along with Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Reza Baqir and Ambassador Dr. Asad M. Khan held discussion on the role of APPNA in Pakistan. 6 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. PRIME MINISTER ON U.S. MEDIA PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN SPEAKS WITH JUDY WOODRUFF, PBS NEWSHOUR Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared in an interview with Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour. Speaking on Afghanistan, Prime Minister said that the only good outcome for Afghanistan is an inclusive political settlement, a sort of government that includes all factions there. From Pakistan’s perspective, a protracted civil war in Afghanistan will be the worst case scenario, he said. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE. 7 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. PAKISTAN-U.S. RELATIONS FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKS TO U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a telephone conversation with with U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The two committed to forging a stable and sustainable Pak-US partnership. PAKISTAN GETS 3M DOSES OF MODERNA VACCINE UNDER COVAX The second consignment of 3 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States to the COVAX Facility arrived in Pakistan on July 26, 2021, bringing the total doses donated by the US through COVAX to 5.5 million. READ HERE 8 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. CLIMATE CHANGE PAKISTAN AT THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Federal Minister and Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam represented Pakistan at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. He held a meeting with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. 9 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. EMBASSY EVENTS EMBASSY HOSTS GOVERNOR STATE BANK The embassy held a reception in the honor of Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Raza Baqir. Community leaders from the DC-Maryland-Virginia area attended the reception. Governor Baqir briefed the audience on Roshan Digital Accounts, the status of Pakistan’s economic recovery and highlighted the priority that the Government attaches to overseas Pakistanis. 10 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. THINK TANK EVENTS AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES ‘THE NEXT CHAPTER IN U.S.-PAKISTAN RELATIONS’ AT THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE The United States Institute of Peace hosted Ambassador Dr. Asad Majeed Khan for a discussion on “The Next Chapter in US-Pakistan Relations”. Ambassador Richard Olson, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, moderated the event. Highlighting Afghanistan as an area of convergence between Pakistan and the United States, Ambassador Khan said that an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan would best serve shared security interests in the region. Commenting on Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics, Ambassador Khan said that the Government wanted to leverage Pakistan’s location and connectivity infrastructure to promote regional integration and growth. He underlined Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture, and technology sectors. He pointed out that Pakistan is well-placed in the region to be an important part of the global supply chain. READ HERE. 11 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. CONGRESSIONAL OUTREACH AMBASSADOR INTERACTS WITH CONGRESSMAN JUAN VARGAS (D-CA) Ambassador Dr. Asad M. Khan held a virtual meeting with Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA). Ambassador briefed the congressman on the evolving regional security situation and discussed ways in which Pakistan and the U.S. can partner up for peace, security and stability of the region. 12 Copyright © 2021 Embassy of Pakistan, All Rights Reserved. ADVOCACY AND MEDIA OUTREACH Ambassador Dr. Asad M. Khan hosted journalists from U.S.