US Congressman Tom Suozzi has voiced support for reviving the Congressional Pakistani Caucus in the US Congress as he backed greater US investment into Pakistan's energy sector.
He expressed these views while meeting with a delegation of Pakistan-origin Americans who hosted him the other day in New York's Long Island neighbourhood. Suozzi is a Democrat and a member of the US Congress, elected from the Third Congressional District of New York. Prominent Pakistani-American community members and businesspersons Dr Shahzad and Dr Imran hosted the meeting with Suozzi and members of the Pakistani-American community.
During the meeting, Pakistan's ongoing energy crisis was discussed, in particular, US sanctions, which are preventing Islamabad from purchasing gas from Iran. Suozzi was informed that the pipeline is the most cost-effective and time-saving move to ease Pakistan's power crisis, but it has been stalled for years due to US sanctions. He was informed that the infrastructure on the Iranian and Pakistani sides is complete save a section of the pipeline on the Pakistan side, which cannot be completed until the US waives its sanctions. If a waiver is granted for five years, the pipeline can provide an immediate solution to Pakistan's energy crisis saving Rs500 billion annually.
Suozzi, however, saw the problem from a different lens.
"Russia, China and Iran would be helping them (Pakistan); that is a problem," he said, adding, "America should be helping to get investment into Pakistan. There is so much land that is not even being used, but it should be used for solar power, wind power, and other types of renewable energy."
Other issues discussed during the meeting were bilateral ties, trade, climate change and other topics.
Suozzi also announced that he would work to revive the US Congressional Pakistani Caucus.
"I am very excited about working with my friends here in the US and via the Pakistani ambassador to the US and people in the Pakistani government to figure out how we can enhance this relationship that is so longstanding that has had a lot of very, very positive things and some difficult things as well," he said, adding, "let's figure out how to overcome the difficult parts and work on the positive parts so that we can help our two countries move forward together."