“Co-operation between Pakistan and the US in the fight against terrorism will be further strengthened by revisiting the sale of F-16s and CSF issues,” Jalil Abbas Jilani told American print and electronic media correspondents at a reception for them at the Pakistan embassy in Washington.
He said Pakistan looks forward to closely working with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
In April last year, US lawmakers blocked a move by the Obama administration to subsidise Pakistan’s purchase of eight F-16 fighter jets after accusing Islamabad of ‘not doing enough’ to crack down on militants.
Speaking to US media representatives, Jilani said Pakistan and the US had a historic relationship which spanned over seven decades.
He said the interests of both countries converged on several issues and that this would help strengthen their bilateral ties in the future.
Replying to a question, the ambassador said Pakistan had launched a successful campaign to tackle militancy, and terror incidents in the country had subsequently gone down by 70%.
In response to another question, he said while there is no organised IS presence in Pakistan, Islamabad is concerned about the ultra-radical Middle Eastern group’s growing influence in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the government of Pakistan has decided to ask Jilani to continue till the arrival of his successor, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, to step into his shoes.
Highly-placed diplomatic sources said yesterday that Aizaz Chaudhry who had planned to leave for the US by the end of the current month has been asked by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stay back until further orders.
The government has already sought the consent of the US government for his posting, supposed to be a formality.
With this, the process of selection of a new foreign secretary has also slowed down.
The five contenders for the post are Ghalib Iqbal, Tehmina Janjua, Ibne-Abbas, Abdul Basit and Masroor Junejo.
Ghalib, former Chief of Protocol (CP) and grade 22 officer, is waiting for his posting, while Jaijua is Pakistan’s Permanent Representative for the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.
Ibne-Abbas is Pakistan’s high commissioner in the United Kingdom and Abdul Basit is high commissioner for India.
Ambassador Masroor Junejo is Pakistan’s envoy to Denmark. Jilani would be completing his contractual period mid-next month.
The sources have hinted that he will have to stay in Washington until April, as the prime minister has given some significant assignment to Aizaz Chaudhry that could be accomplished in about two months.
The dossiers of the four top bureaucrats of the Foreign Office have been placed on the table of prime minister and he would make a final decision as soon he returns from Davos.