Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar arrived in Washington, D.C. for a one-day official visit. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, along with senior officials of the Pakistani Embassy, welcomed him at the airport. During his visit, Ishaq Dar will hold top-level meetings and deliver a policy speech to strengthen the Pakistan-US relationship.
Today, Dar will visit the State Department to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They will discuss bilateral relations between Pakistan and the U.S., with a special focus on trade, investment, and economic cooperation. They are also expected to address regional issues, including the Kashmir dispute, Pakistan-India tensions, and South Asian security.
The visit of Dar coincides with Pakistan’s participation at the UN Security Council and the recent appeal for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Other areas of focus are: cooperation of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Indus Waters Treaty, and the Preferential Trade Agreement.
Ishaq Dar US visit also entails a speech at the Atlantic Council at 2:30 pm EST (11:30 pm Pakistan time) where he will give account of the Pakistani and US standpoint on regional issues and future of relations between Pakistan and US. This visit is an indication of a new direction in the Pakistan-US relations, which is trying to let go of the security issues and entering into wider economic and cooperative relations.