ISLAMABAD Dec 19 (INP) Founder Chairman Pak-US Business Council and Vice President SAARC Chamber Iftikhar Ali Malik Tuesday said joint ventures should be made between Pakistan and US in economic sphere which will not only helpful to create Pakistan-US long term bilateral relationship but also give an edge to Pakistan in war against terrorism. Talking to media after attending a meeting with US Ambassador to Pakistan here at regional office of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the business community top leader Iftikhar Ali Malik, said the USA should remove the bottlenecks in bilateral investment treaty and efforts should now be made on signing a free trade agreement (FTA) at the earliest and it is now imperative that the USA should offer same package and incentives which it offers to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in textile exports, such as duty concessions and market access. “There must be an incentive package for Pakistan for being a front-line state in combating terrorism with the USA. There is a need for duty cut and market access for Pakistani textile goods to the USA,” he added. He said that Pakistan is time tested friend and suffered colossal irreparable economic losses running in billions of dollars in the wake of war on terrorism in the region. He further said visa restrictions should be eased for the Pakistani businessmen and exporters and joint efforts are needed to further cement the existing economic ties between Pakistan and US private sector. He said Pakistan and US are enjoying amicable relationship and coalition partners against war on terror. He said Hillary Clinton former Secretary of State at one on one meeting with him during her last visit to Pakistan promised to develop Reconstruction of Zones (ROZ) which he added still awaited to be materialized. Iftikhar Ali Malik who is also Chairman United Business Group (UBG) said Pakistan was emerging as a fast developing and modern republic in South Asia. He urged Pakistani-American businessmen to avail immense business potential in Pakistan as well. “Pakistan and the United States have been close allies in the fight against terrorism, which is a common threat to all nations of the world adding he said as a matter of policy, Pakistan does not allow use of its territory against any country. Instead of relying on the false narrative of safe havens, the US needs to work sincerely with Pakistan to stamp out the menace of terrorism,” he added. He said Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan as peace in Kabul is good for the entire region but the veteran trade leader Iftikhar Ali Malik stressed that after 16 years of conflict, it is clear that lasting peace in Afghanistan can only be achieved through a comprehensive political process with the active participation of Pakistan. “Pakistan stands ready to work with Afghanistan and the United States to that end,” he said. He emphasised that Pakistan has always preferred to resolve all issues peacefully. He said that both India and Afghanistan have given their point of views. He said the United States also has no choice but to use Pakistani roads to resupply its troops in landlocked Afghanistan. He suggested the United States and Pakistan should expand cooperation on the 2013 Joint Action Plan on Trade and Investment as the United States remains Pakistan’s largest bilateral export market and a significant source of foreign direct investment. He said it would be in the interest of both the countries to enhance their trade volume which had been hovering around $5 billion for the last five years. “We must recognise that there are no military solutions to these long wars, and policy clarity, regional cooperation and strategic consensus is critical to preserving key rights gains made in many parts of Afghanistan. Pakistan is invested more than any country in stability and peace in Afghanistan, especially given our long border and history of traffic and 2.7 million refugee hosting, so a more constructive path is better advised for all those committed to the same goals,” he concluded. President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zubair Tufail, UBG Presidential candidate Ghazanffar Bilour,former FPCCI chief Zubair Ahmad Malik,Chairman Diplomatic Committee of FPCCI Malik Sohail Hussain were also present on the occasion. INP/AH