Islamabad: Speakers at a seminar on US-Pakistan relations argued that increasing vulnerability will force Pakistan deeper into debt. The speakers urged the US to help Pakistan rebuild its ailing economy, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.

The seminar, organised jointly by the Wilson Centre, Washington, and the International Academy of Letters (IAL), USA, tried to explore how to promote US- Pakistan relations after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Speakers stressed the need to transform the security-oriented relationship between the two countries into an economic and trade partnership beneficial for both, according to Dawn.

Professor Hassan Abbas who teaches international relations at the National Defence University, Washington, said: "The traditional military-to-military ties are just one pillar of the relationship."

"We cannot build a relationship on one pillar only. A partnership needs to cover all key aspects, trade, education, health, culture," he said.

He pointed out that even the security partnership should go beyond military-to-military ties. "A country's security includes law enforcement, criminal justice, narcotics control, economic security, and social protections," he said.

One of the sessions focused on the role the Pakistani diaspora in the US can play in promoting US-Pakistan relations, Dawn reported.

Dawn recently reported that Pakistan has made progress in its intellectual property (IP) legislation, but more needs to be done, the United States said in its report.

In its new report, the United States Trade Representative acknowledged that Pakistan has made progress but much needs to be done regarding intellectual property enforcement.

USTR released its 2023 special report on intellectual property protection and enforcement on Wednesday. In the report, USTR kept Pakistan on the 'watch list' for 2023 while acknowledging that the country "maintained a positive dialogue with the US on intellectual property matters and promoting IP protection and enforcement".

The report stated that Pakistan was amending its IP laws and encouraged the government to seek stakeholders' input on draft laws.