Secretary Clinton,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Let me begin by thanking you for your warm words of welcome and your reaffirmation of the vital importance of Pakistan-U.S. relations.

My colleagues, and I myself, have been touched by the gracious hospitality extended to us since our arrival in Washington .

I bring with me the warmest greetings of the leadership and people of Pakistan for the friendly government and people of the United States .

We are meeting, today, in the special backdrop of the 70th anniversary of adoption of the Pakistan Resolution – a landmark event in the history of South Asia and a defining moment in our struggle for freedom.

The people of Pakistan remember with gratitude the valuable contribution made by the freedom-loving American people to our quest for independence and to forging close ties with our young nation.

Consistent with its own values and principles, Pakistan made a conscious choice at the outset to join the free world alliance, at a time when sitting on the fence was rightly considered immoral.

Pakistan and the U.S. have since been close friends and allies. On several occasions, our partnership has had a profound impact on the course of history.

Pakistan 's role in the promotion of Sino-American rapprochement decisively tilted the East-West balance in favour of the free world.

Our successful joint endeavors to rollback the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan helped end the cold war and usher in a new era in world politics.

In the post-9/11 period, our two nations have joined hands again to defeat the dark forces of extremism and terrorism that threaten us all.

As we recall these shining examples, we must also remember that many of these brooked great sacrifices from the people of Pakistan .

Red marks were placed on Pakistan 's cities. Thousands of our innocent citizens became victims of foreign-sponsored sabotage.

Our society was exposed to massive refugee influx as well as the devastating effects of illicit weapons and drugs, which continue to afflict us to this day.

Our resolute fight against militancy is evoking a stiff backlash – manifested in repeated attacks and suicide bombings targeting our valiant security personnel and innocent civilians.

Our economy continues to incur losses to the tune of billions of dollars.

Yet, our resolve remains undiminished, because it is a matter of standing up for your principles and facing the consequences that come in its wake.

I should also mention that the Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relationship did not always enjoy a sunny side. In fact, over the past six decades, it has seen all seasons.

We have had development assistance as well as crippling sanctions; engagement as well as estrangement; spring punctuated with periods of autumn.

But one lesson from this long-standing partnership is clear: Whenever the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan has frayed, the interests of both our nations have suffered. Whenever we have worked together, both our nations and the world have benefited.

I, therefore, venture to stress that it is a dictate of our shared history that the Pakistan-U.S. relationships remain deep and sustainable.

Madam Secretary,

It is with this sense of history that we are approaching this renewed Strategic Dialogue.

The two countries had started the structured Strategic Dialogue process in April 2006 and rightly focused on priority areas like the economy, energy, education, science & technology, and agriculture.

In several rounds of discussions in Washington and Islamabad , proposals and specific measures for closer collaboration in these sectors were outlined.

However, despite best efforts on both sides, time and resource constraints prevented us from achieving concrete outcomes.

Now is the time to look forward. Our renewed, upgraded Dialogue offers great hope.

We believe it presents a great opportunity to reaffirm our long-standing alliance, to rededicate ourselves to the principles and values that have guided our relationship in the last six decades, and to craft together the vision of a broad-based, long-term and enduring partnership for the 21st century.

Such a partnership, we are convinced, is good for Pakistan , good for America , and good for international peace, security and prosperity.

Such a partnership is important because Pakistan is a pivotal state -- with over 170-million people, rich in human and natural endowment, full of huge untapped natural and energy resources awaiting extraction, strategically located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, and representing a democratic and moderate voice in the Islamic world.

Such a partnership is necessary because Pakistan and the U.S. have a whole range of convergent interests – including fighting the twin menace of extremism and terrorism, stabilizing Afghanistan, promoting peace and stability in South Asia, linking the economic potential of South and Central Asia, curbing nuclear proliferation, and advancing progress and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Madam Secretary,

Under a new democratic leadership, inspired by the ideals of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan remains engaged in a consequential effort to turn the tide against extremism and build a future of promise and hope for its people.

For us, this is and will remain a strategic and moral imperative.

We recognize that the U.S. also wants to see a stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan , making steady progress toward the realization of the vision of its founding fathers.

We have welcomed President Obama's commitment to build a “richer relationship” with Pakistan , based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual trust.

We value the Kerry-Lugar initiative, which contains the potential to fundamentally transform the nature of our relationship and make it broad-based and people-centered.

It is our earnest hope that the Strategic Dialogue we are upgrading today would help both sides take the relationship truly to a strategic plane.

In this regard, our point of departure must remain that positive and robust engagement between Pakistan and the U.S. is critical for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.

We must also remember that an enduring partnership can only be built and sustained on the strength of a close people-to-people relationship. Indeed, strong public support is indispensable for any initiative to bring our two nations closer and jointly promote our common goals.

A Pakistan-U.S. relationship that touches the lives of ordinary people, responds to their vital needs, and makes a positive difference in the pursuit of their aspirations for a better life, would form the solid foundation as well as best guarantee for a sustained strategic partnership between our two nations.

As such, we hope that, together, Pakistan and the U.S. can build a robust economic partnership, which rests primarily on increased trade and market access so that we can expand economic opportunities in Pakistan and fight extremism strategically.

We hope non-discriminatory access to vital energy resources will also be available to us, so that we too can pursue our economic and industrial development plans.

We recognize that education is the bedrock of a progressive and democratic society. We hope there will be adequate resources to reinforce our efforts in this vital social sector.

Regionally, Pakistan is committed to doing its part to facilitate the world community's efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan . We hope the world community will be equally responsive to our legitimate concerns and help advance common interests.

Pakistan will continue to seek a peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes in South Asia, including Kashmir . We hope the U.S. will maintain its constructive engagement to encourage this process.

Madam Secretary,

There are great expectations from the enterprise we are launching today.

I am conscious that it will not be without its challenges or complications either.

There could be doubts from within; there will be smear from without; and there may be set-backs on the way.

But I am confident that we have the requisite political will on both sides to pursue it successfully and to achieve concrete results – because at the end of the day it is in the mutual interest of our two nations to work together to advance our shared objectives.

I assure you, Madam Secretary, that in the worthy cause of building an enduring partnership of mutual benefit between our two countries, we will meet you more than half the way.

I thank you.

 

Islamabad

24 March 2010