ISLAMABAD: US House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Gregory Weldon Meeks on Thursday lauded Pakistan for its efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region.
In a video call with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Meeks said Pakistan was an important country in the region, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The two discussed bilateral relations, the rising trend of Islamophobia in western countries and other important regional and global issues.
Qureshi said Islamabad and Washington have a similarity of views when it came to lasting peace in the South Asian region.
He observed stability in Afghanistan was essential for the economic development of Pakistan in particular and the region in general.
The foreign minister recalled that his interaction with the House of Representatives during the emergency session of the UN General Assembly in New York, convened to discuss Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, focused on important regional and global issues.
Qureshi briefed Meeks about Pakistan’s concern over the growing trend of Islamophobia the world over.
Pakistan, he said, was committed to expressing its voice against hate speech and Islamophobia at various international forums, including the United Nations.
He stressed joint efforts of the international community to counter Islamophobia and ensure peaceful coexistence.
During the call, Meeks also expressed his condolences over the tragic murder of four members of a Pakistan-origin Muslim family in London city of Canada.
