DM Monitoring
New York: Terming his recent interaction with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as cordial, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has emphasised that Pakistan-US ties “must not be viewed via the lens of China”.
“We stress, and will continue to do so, that Pakistan-US relations must not be viewed via the lens of our relations with iron-clad brother China,” FM Dar said during an interaction with the Pakistani community at the Pakistan Consulate in New York.
“We want the strongest relations with the US as well. This is the policy of our government under PM Shehbaz Sharif,” he noted while referring to his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the first meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in nine years.
The top diplomat’s remarks are to be interpreted in light of the US-China trade tensions, where the two have slapped tariffs on each other’s goods, and Islamabad’s deep economic and military ties with Beijing and cooperation with Washington in the war against terror.
The rare high-level interaction between FM Dar and Secretary Rubio earlier this week came against the backdrop of improving relations between the two countries following a prolonged diplomatic chill.
There has been a visible thaw, marked by US President Donald Trump’s warm reception for Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month.
In the 40-minute meeting with FM Dar, Secretary Rubio praised Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror and acknowledged the country’s unmatched sacrifices in the war on terror and acknowledged the country’s constructive role in global and regional peace.
The meeting was held at the delegation level, with senior officials from both sides in attendance. The two sides discussed a broad range of issues, including bilateral ties, prospects for enhanced cooperation in trade, economy, investment, counterterrorism, and regional peace.
Meanwhile, FM Dar appreciated President Trump’s role in de-escalating Pakistan-India tensions, calling his efforts commendable and accentuating that Islamabad sought deeper and more stable ties with Washington.
FM Dar is the second top Pakistani official to interact with the US leadership in recent days as before him, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Munir held a one-on-one meeting with President Trump during the Iran-Israel conflict.
Apart from the security cooperation between Pakistan and the US, the former is also seeking a trade deal with the latter with FM Dar saying that it would be reached “in a matter of days”.
“I think we are very close to finalising a deal with the US. Our teams have been here in Washington, discussing, having virtual meetings, and a committee has been tasked by the prime minister to fine-tune now.
“It’s not going to be months, not even weeks, I would say [just] days,” FM Dar had stated while a discussion at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington previously.
Economic turnaround
Touching upon the country’s economic indicators, the DPM said that the country was experiencing a significant positive boost in its standing on the world stage and that it had emerged from a period of isolation and was witnessing economic revival.
“We have made considerable progress, especially in political and economic fields, in the past three years, despite heavy odds — we are indeed a resilient nation, ” he said at the same interactive session.
Underscoring Pakistan’s ongoing economic recovery, Dar cited the successful completion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, reduced inflation, and restored investor confidence, a fact the global credit rating agencies have acknowledged.
He reiterated the government’s aspiration for Pakistan to join the ranks of G-20 economies.
