LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz met acting United States ambassador Natalie A. Baker on Wednesday, with the two sides agreeing to expand cooperation across education, security, investment, artificial intelligence and energy.

The chief minister welcomed the American envoy warmly, and the meeting produced agreement on deepening collaboration specifically in security, artificial intelligence and the energy sector.

Both sides also agreed to draw on US technical expertise to tackle flooding and smog — two problems that have defined Punjab’s crisis calendar in recent years. A proposal to hold a Punjab–US Business and Investment Forum in Lahore was reviewed during the discussion.

Baker praised the chief minister’s programmes for women, and separately commended the Punjab government’s handling of the Basant festival and the safety measures built around it. She said she is fond of Pakistan and described the people of Punjab and Lahore as warm and spirited.

Maryam Nawaz said the Basant festival will be expanded further next year. She added that legal steps are being taken to empower women in Punjab, and that a policy is being developed to align the province’s development trajectory with climate adaptation.

“Punjab is changing,” she said, pointing to reform work underway in both cities and rural districts. She singled out the direct Pink Button and the virtual police station as key women’s-safety measures, describing both as tools designed to deliver immediate and effective help.

Reporter Rao Dilshad