Hillary Clinton for Pak to position itself as regional transit hub

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today urged Pakistan to position itself as a transit hub for greater trade between India and other countries in the region, saying increased economic activity would benefit Islamabad.

Pakistan should capitalise on its geo-strategic location to boost trade with its neighbours, including Afghanistan and India, Clinton said during a town hall meeting in Islamabad during which she interacted with people from different sections of society.

"If you look at the location of Pakistan between Iran and India, more goods in western Iran and eastern India should be going through Pakistan's ports," she said in response to questions about enhanced economic activity in the region.

"I've never been in Pakistan (when) a Pakistani businessperson has not said to me, 'Talk to our government about opening up trade with India.' I always say talk to your own government about opening up trade with India," said Clinton, who arrived here yesterday with a high-level delegation.

Clinton noted the "good contacts" between the governments of India and Pakistan, including recent meetings between the Commerce Secretaries and Foreign Ministers of the two countries and Pakistan's move to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status on India.

All these steps "will be hugely beneficial to Pakistan", she said.

"So I'm hoping we're at the brink of seeing a lot of positive developments in that area," she added.

The town hall meeting, which was organised specifically to address growing anti-American sentiments within Pakistan, was attended by entrepreneurs, civil society activists and students.