ISLAMABAD:
A high-level delegation from the Senate led by Deputy Speaker Syedaal Khan will pay an official visit to the United States from January 20 to 25, 2026, the Senate Secretariat announced on Tuesday, amid a wider thaw in Pakistan-US relations over the past year.
The secretariat described the visit as a “historic milestone” in the Pak-US parliamentary relationship, marking the “beginning of a new institutional chapter in bilateral engagement”.
The delegation’s visit comes after 2025 saw renewed high-level engagement between Islamabad and Washington, along with strategic recalibrations and changing regional dynamics in South Asia and the Middle East.
According to the Senate Secretariat, the visit has been organized under the auspices of the Pakistan Policy Institute USA and will include the US-Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Group for the first time.
The Secretariat called this inclusion a “major feat of strategic and non-traditional parliamentary diplomacy” and said it “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions through direct engagement between elected legislatures”.
The statement said the initiative comes at a “critical time” of global and regional transformation, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, and will be implemented with clearly defined strategic objectives.
Chief among these is the “establishment of a permanent institutional mechanism” for sustained inter-parliamentary dialogue between the US Congress and the Senate of Pakistan.
“The delegation aims to promote democratic values, exchange best legislative practices, strengthen parliamentary oversight and enhance institutional cooperation beyond traditional diplomacy at the executive level,” the secretariat said.
It added that the program would also prioritize engagement with the Pakistani-American community to present Pakistan’s parliamentary perspective on regional and global issues, while promoting scientific, cultural and policy-oriented cooperation.
In particular, the Secretariat pointed out that no Pakistani parliamentary delegation has had formal engagements at the Rayburn House Office Building under the auspices of the US Congress in the 77-year history of Pakistan-US relations.
The visit will also feature a press conference and media engagements at the National Press Club, as well as community and political receptions in New Jersey.
The Secretariat said the visit is expected to lay the foundation for regular parliamentary exchanges, deeper legislative cooperation and a sustainable institutional partnership between Pakistan and the US, rooted in mutual respect, democratic principles and long-term strategic engagement.
The announcement follows a visit by a US congressional delegation to Pakistan last April, which the visiting lawmakers described as “very successful and productive”.
This delegation included Congressmen Jack Bergman, Tom Suozzi and Jonathan Jackson, who held meetings with senior Pakistani officials, including the COAS.
