Islamabad:
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are ready to hold talks in Washington on Friday, confirmed the Foreign Office and said bilateral ties, regional and international issues as well as India-Pakistan relationship would be on the agenda.
“I can confirm that the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow and the full range of issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as important regional and global questions, including the situation in the Middle East, and Iran will be discussed,” Shafqat Ali Khan told journalists on Thursday by the weekly orientation.
“Exchange of views will also take place on the issue of Pakistan India, which we remain grateful for the role that the United States has played in tensioning of tension leading to ceasefire,” he added.
The meeting between Dar and Rubio is part of the renewed efforts of the two sides to revive the structured dialogue between Pakistan and the United States. The Biden administration completely ignored Pakistan and there had been no or small contacts at the level of foreign ministers.
Unlike expectations, however, bilateral ties between Pakistan and the United States have seen a positive turn since President Donald Trump began his second period.
Pakistan’s cooperation to arrest one of Masterminds when bombing Abbey Gate in Kabul in August 2021 led to the approach. President Trump in his virgin address praised Pakistan’s fight against fighting terrorism.
What brought the two countries further close was that India-Pakistan conflict in May after the Pahaldam attack. While Pakistan recognized the Trump Administration’s positive role in mediation of the ceasefire, India continued to challenges the US allegations.
Pakistan to move on in the White House that was nominated President Trump at the Nobel Peace Prize for his brave leadership and peace efforts in the subcontinent.
As for reports on the US-Pakistan dialogue, including discussion about Jammu & Kashmir and Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the spokesman confirmed these issues remain central to Pakistan’s diplomatic agenda and are expected to be raised in DPM/FM’s meeting with the US State Secretary of Marco Rubio.
On the question of President Trump’s recent comments on credit for rejecting an almost nuclear crisis in South Asia, Khan said, “We have repeatedly recognized the role of friendly nations, including the United States. Facts about this crisis is well known.”
When asked, spokesman for the Foreign Office said Pakistan is engaging with all countries in good faith and would continue to invite India to come to the negotiating table and go for a peaceful solution of disputes.
“But the central question is that India has to decide what kind of policy it wants to adopt. As far as Pakistan is concerned, our attitude is very clear. We have repeatedly recognized and thanks to the US intervention and the role it played in the peel of the recent crisis,” Shafqat said.
“But again, it is for India to decide the route it wants to take, the policy it wants to adopt. Diplomatic commitment is not a service expanded by one country to another; it is in the common interest of both countries and regional stability and global peace,” he added.
Meanwhile, spokesman Mohsin Naqvi’s recent visit to Afghanistan described as “very successful” and said it reflected the constant positive momentum in bilateral connections.
Shafqat said the visit should be seen in the broader context of improving ties, referring to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s visit to Kabul on April 19, 2025, as a “waters moment.”
“There is a stable positive momentum in interactions and the quality of relationships has improved significantly. Both sides are working to further solidify the diplomatic gains, maintain and speed up this positive momentum,” Khan said.
The spokesman emphasized that the Ministry of the Interior’s agenda focused primarily on security and terrorism – issues that remain an important part of the discussions between the two neighbors.
“We have repeatedly repeated what kind of relationship we want with Afghanistan. However, one of the tripping blocks is the shrines that terrorists enjoy there,” the spokesman noted.
He added that Pakistan had conveyed his concerns to Kabul, and the Afghan side showed “susceptibility” to these issues. “The technical discussions are underway. I can’t go into details, but in political terms the visit was very successful,” Khan said.
Highlighting the wider context of ties maintained the Foreign Office that cooperation in the security sector must be seen as part of the overall positivity and improvement of the connections between the two “brotherly neighboring countries”.
