Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: An agreement to declare Punjab province and the United States’ California state as sister provinces was signed on 9 January 2023 at the State Capitol building in Sacramento, which is the capital of the state. The aim of the agreement is to boost a mutually beneficial relationship.
Anthony Rendon, the Speaker of the California State Assembly, and Wasif Khurshid (representing Punjab government) Chairman of the Planning and Development Board, signed the agreement.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, former prime minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani, Lieutenant Governor of California, Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis, members of the California State Assembly, US government officials, and a large number of Pakistani-American community activists attended the ceremony.
Earlier welcoming the Pakistani delegation to California, Congresswoman Chu talked about similarities between California and Punjab comprising strong agricultural bases and vibrant populations of the two sides.
He added that it will be the start of a wonderful partnership between California and Punjab as both have so many commonalities to build upon.
Agreement to Promote people to people contacts
Talking on the occasion, Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Masood Khan said that the sister province agreement between California and Punjab would help to promote mutual trade and commerce, and will increase the potential for educational, environmental, and cultural relations along with people-to-people contacts between the Province of Punjab and the State of California.
He added that the state of California, being among the top four economies of the world, and the vibrant middle class of Punjab, would help in creating the required interactions for nurturing a mutually beneficial relationship and a win-win partnership.
Highlighting the strengths of Pak-US relationship, Ambassador Khan added that the decades-long bilateral relationship between the two countries was characterized by ‘longevity and resilience’.
He further added that leaders and the public from both countries have brought the legacy of cooperation from the Cold War and post-Cold War periods to the era of the new technological age, which is constantly transforming regional and global landscapes.
Masood Khan expressed the hope that a strong and healthy partnership between the state of California and the Punjab government would be instrumental in tapping the existing potential for the mutual benefit of the people.
