ISLAMABAD: The United States Congress recognizes the efforts and sacrifices made by the people of Pakistan and its armed forces in the fight against terrorism, Congressman Eric Swalwell said Thursday.
The congressmen, who is in Pakistan, in a meeting with Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said his visit had provided him the opportunity to arrive at a deeper understanding of the Pakistan-US bilateral cooperation.
A Democratic Party member from California, Congressman Swalwell serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is the top democrat on the sub-committee on the Central Intelligence Agency, (CIA), responsible for the oversight, policy, activities, and budget of this organization.
Fatemi said regular parliamentary exchanges between Pakistan and the United States were important to dispel misperceptions in the US Congress about Pakistan’s committed efforts against terrorism.
He stated this in a meeting with US Congressman Eric Swalwell here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fatemi said the timing of Congressman Eric Swalwell’s visit to Pakistan was propitious as it provided the two sides a useful opportunity to take note of each other’s perspectives on issues of mutual interest.
He expressed hope that during his stay in Pakistan, Congressman Swalwell would be able to arrive at a holistic view of the history of Pakistan’s meaningful cooperation with the US on issues including steps against terror outfits, ongoing peace process in Afghanistan and improvement of relations with India.
Fatemi briefed Swalwell in detail about Pakistan’s successful efforts under the Zarb-e-Azb operation to uproot various terrorist networks including Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Pakistan and Haqqani Network from the Pakistani soil.
Matters related to peace and reconciliation efforts by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, which had received a serious setback following the US drone strike in Balochistan on May 21, that killed the Afghan Taliban leader, were also discussed.
Congressmen Swalwell also serves on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where he addresses issues related to climate change and advocates for renewable energy. He was accompanied by US Ambassador David Hale.
