Chris R. Holden, the speaker of the California Legislative Assembly, has sent an invitation to the chief minister of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to officially establish a “sister state” relationship.
Salman Ghani, a former federal secretary, provided information about the deal between Punjab and the US state of California during a meeting that the chief minister presided over to discuss the issue.
The chief minister issued directives to give a final shape to the agreement forthwith.
He claimed that the deal would improve trade, business, and economic ties between Pakistan and California and boost bilateral investment. He emphasized the importance of developing relationships in the fields of culture, information technology, health, and education.
He highlighted how the agreement would improve ties between Punjab and California.
The chief minister said that a separate cell will be established in the Planning and Development Board to give the agreement a final shape and carry out the duty of its implementation.
Although a delegation from the Punjab government had been invited to travel to the United States for a ceremony to sign the agreement, he said he would be happy to have a Californian delegation visit Lahore instead.
He said that Punjab has been designated as a sister state by the California Legislative Assembly. He stated that copies of the letter had been forwarded to the director of the USAID mission, other interested officials, and US Ambassador Donald Blome in Pakistan.
The CM said Holden had expressed hope that the agreement would soon be signed.
