Hunza (PR): On Wednesday, the US ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, accompanied by a delegation from the United States, visited the Shahi Palace in Hunza at the gracious invitation of Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan and Rani Atiqa.
On their arrival at the Shahi Palace, the former Chief Executive and Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan and former member GB Assembly Rani Atiqa extended a warm welcome to the American Ambassador. Following the local traditions, the American Ambassador and accompanying guests were honoured with a traditional cap and native attire.
Mir Gazanfar and and Rani Atiqa informed the American ambassador about the history of Hunza and its relations with the United States.
During the meeting, Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan and Rani Atiqa expressed their gratitude to the United States government. They acknowledged that the United States has previously undertaken many projects for the development of Hunza and Gilgit-Baltistan.
They expressed their hope that the cooperation from United States will continue in various sectors in future too.
Rani Atiqa also briefed the American Ambassador about the prevailing problems that Hunza is facing. She requested the American government for support in different sectors including energy, healthcare, education with a particular emphasis on technical education and employment.
Rani Atiqa requested the ambassador to extend support in establishment of a technical education institute for the young people of Hunza, with the goal of enabling them to secure respectable employment opportunities in the future.
She also requested educational grants and student exchange opportunities within the sister program for students attending the Karakoram International University Hunza Campus.
The US Ambassador expressed his gratitude to Mir Gazanfar and Rani Atiqa for their gracious invitation and for bringing the issues of Hunza to his attention. He assured that the United States will contribute to addressing challenges faced by Hunza in the near future.
He further said that a variety of projects would be launched across different sectors in Gilgit-Baltistan including Hunza. He emphasized that the relationship between Hunza and the United States will remain strong as always.
