Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar received a call tonight from the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
“The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan-US ties and discussed recent regional and international developments. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations across multifaceted areas of cooperation,” the Foreign Office (FO) said.
The phone call between Dar and Rubio takes place against a backdrop of improving Pakistan-US relations. An analysis published by Dawn last month noted that the “positive signals” between Islamabad and Washington, “which began emanating soon after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, seem to be turning into full-blown bonhomie.”
The analysis observed that from acknowledging Pakistan’s counter-terrorism cooperation in the arrest of a militant organization IS-Khorasan’s operative to claiming credit for a ceasefire between Pakistan and India following their May conflict, Pakistan has “perhaps featured more in incumbent US President Donald Trump’s ‘day-to-day media interactions than any past ‘commander-in-chief’’.”
Following the May escalation, Pakistan’s army chief also met with President Trump at the White House. This was followed by a series of cabinet-level engagements, culminating in a breakthrough tariff agreement that set a uniform duty of 19% on Pakistani exports to the US. “After securing what seems to be a major discount in tariff negotiations, attracting US investor interest in its oil and mineral reserves and signaling that its currency market is receptive to digital assets and cryptocurrencies, Pakistan seems to be in the driving seat as far as South Asia is concerned,” the analysis stated.
Earlier this month, Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) worth $500 million with an American metals company, US Strategic Metals.
