Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and US Consul General Natalie Baker also discussed the engagement of US experts to assist Punjab in tackling floods and smog.
The two sides reviewed a proposal to organise a Punjab-US Business and Investment Forum in Lahore to promote trade and investment opportunities.
Baker appreciated the Lahore Basant festival and praised the Punjab government for taking measures to ensure the event was held safely. She said she particularly liked the people of Punjab and Lahore, describing them as “very lively”.
CM Maryam said the Basant festival would be expanded further next year.
She said the provincial government was taking legal measures to empower women and formulating policies aimed at promoting development and addressing environmental challenges.
The chief minister said around one million overseas Pakistanis from Punjab living in the US were a valuable asset for the country.
Speaking about the management of monsoon rains, Ms Nawaz said advance preparations and the establishment of district-level WASA units had enabled authorities to drain rainwater more quickly.
“Punjab is changing, and its cities and villages are being reformed,” she said, adding that as Pakistan’s first woman chief minister, she had sought to turn women’s empowerment from a symbolic commitment into practical measures.
