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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Energy crisis biggest problem for Pakistan: Holbrooke


Visiting United States Special Envoy for Pakistan & Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke says the biggest problem for people of Pakistan is ``energy crisis’’ and assured U.S. help for solving it.
U.S. Secretary of State Ms Hilary Clinton will visit Pakistan in next six weeks, he said in separate meetings with Governor, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad, members of Cabinet, an MQM delegation led by Federal Minister, Dr. Farooq Sattar, industrialists, businessmen intellectuals, educationists, bankers, legal experts yesterday at Governor House.
Holbrooke lauded development projects carried out in which City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal’s performance was appreciable. He said U.S. will take special interest and assist in solving power crisis in Karachi. Holbrooke viewed with concern a recent survey which said that people of Pakistan had ``negative thinking about the US’’ and felt over past decades U.S. had provided lot of aid to Pakistan and wants to provide more aid and enhance bilateral cooperation.
U.S. Envoy said mother of President Barrack Obama had stayed at a village near Lahore; President Obama visited Pakistan in 1980s, enjoys Pakistani dishes and appointed him (Holbrooke) as Special Envoy to Pakistan he has visited five times in last six months.
Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad said coalition parties in Sindh government were progressive and moderate. The overall development and stability of Karachi is development and stability of entire country, he observed.
Senior Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq representing Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said thanked U.S. for providing assistance to Pakistan. He said coalition government in Sindh was working satisfactorily. PPP and MQM were liberal parties and under guidance of Governor Issues were resolved amicably.
MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar included Federal Minister Babar Ghauri, Provincial Ministers Raza Haroon, Dr. Saghir Ahmed, Sardar Ahmed and Mustafa Kamal. US Ambassador, Anne Patterson and US under Secretary Juditch Mchale were also present during these meetings. (NC)