WASHINGTON: US lawmakers believe that regional developments have necessitated close and sustained engagement between Pakistan and the United States, the House Committee for Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

The statement, issued after a meeting between the committee members and Pakistan`s new Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani on Capitol Hill, also underlined the need for strengthening democracy in Pakistan.

This was Ambassador`s first engagement with Congress after arriving in Washington last week.

In separate meetings with Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee and Congressman Eliot Engel, aranking member of the Committee, Mr Jilani discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral relations with them.

He told US lawmakers that America`s consistent support to democracy was `deeply valued by the people of Pakistan`, the statement said. He noted that positive momentum in Pak-US bilateral cooperation especially in the energy sector has contributed to positive appreciation of US assistance in Pakistan.

`Congressman Ed Royce agreed with the need to enhance bilateral ties with enhanced focus on trade and commerce. Ranking Member Engel stated that regional developments necessitated close and sustained engagement between Pakistan and the US,` the statement said.

Ambassador Jilani invited both congressmen to visit Pakistan.

On Wednesday, Mr Jilani met Senator Dianne Feinstein, California, who chairs the Select Committee on Intelligence.

He briefed the Senator on the latest developments in the relationship including the recent several high-level exchanges from both sides as well as the forthcoming meetings, said another statement issued by the Pakistan embassy in Washington.

Matters of mutual interest including Afghanistan were also discussed.

Senator Feinstein showed her keen interest in working with the government of Pakistan and in assisting the Pakistani people in overcoming their economic and security challenges, the statement said.

The two statements did not mention the difficult task the new Pakistani envoy faces in winning over US lawmakers. While the White House and the State Department are gradually warming up to Pakistan after a two-year-long frost that followed Osama bin Laden`s discovery in Abbottabad, Congress remains hostile.

At a recent hearing, Congressman Royce called Pakistan `a doubledealer`, who was `paying lip service to cooperation with the US` while `simultaneously undermining our primary objective of bringing Afghanistan under the control of a democratically elected government`.