- Masood Khan emphasizes on reducing poverty to zero.
- Khan calls for establishing a responsible financial system.
- He describes peace and security in the region as a shared global objective.
WASHINGTON: Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Masood Khan has said that India's progress would be much more respectable if it had good relations with its neighbors.
“India's preference should be neighborhood first and it should be a peaceful neighborhood,” the ambassador said, advising the neighboring nation to invest in economic connectivity.
Ambassador Khan made these comments while speaking with Tim Horgan of the New Hampshire Global Affairs Council during the 'Global in the Granite State' podcast.
The comments by Pakistan's top diplomat in the United States came as India prepares for government formation following the announcement of election results in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell short of the required majority in the Lok Sabha.
However, Narendra Modi was appointed Prime Minister for the third consecutive term by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
'The United States should maintain balance in relations with South Asian states'
Meanwhile, Masood Khan has stressed that the United States should maintain a strategic balance in relations with South Asian countries.
Noting that the United States was too closely aligned with India, negating the traditional policy of maintaining strategic balance in the relationship with South Asian countries, he said restoring balance would contribute to peace and security in the region. .
However, he noted that Pakistan had its own independent space vis-à-vis the United States and “we want to use that space in the economic and defense spheres.”
Commenting on US-China relations, the ambassador noted that “US leaders have been managing the relationship with great care and wisdom.”
He also noted that the recent visits had laid the foundation for a collaborative model, not an adversarial model.
“The shared goal of Pakistan, the United States and all leading nations of the world is to have peace and security in the region,” the envoy said.
He also emphasized reducing poverty to zero and said the world must pursue the goal of eradicating impoverishment.
“When we talk about the Global South, the number one priority should be the elimination of poverty, the eradication of poverty,” he said.
Khan said a responsible international financial system must be established that allows countries to become debt-free.
“We should also have a responsible and responsive international financial system” to allow countries to get out of debt traps and make economies more resilient and self-sufficient, he added.
