ISLAMABAD: Acting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, held delegation-level talks with Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, with Islamabad urging the upgradation of bilateral mechanisms for economic and defense cooperation.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington, once close allies, have just started to warm after some years of frosty relations, mostly due to concerns about Pakistan’s alleged support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this support.
Relations strained further under the government of former prime minister Imran Khan, who ruled from 2018-22 and antagonized Washington throughout his tenure, welcoming the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and later accusing Washington of being behind attempts to oust him. Washington has dismissed the accusations.
The government of PM Shehbaz Sharif who took over after Khan and is now in its second term has tried to mend ties but analysts widely believe the United States will not seek a significant broadening of ties with Islamabad in the near future but remain mostly focused on security cooperation, especially on counterterrorism and Afghanistan.
“The two sides held wide ranging discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including progress on the existing dialogue mechanisms on trade, energy, security, health, climate change and counter-terrorism,” the foreign office said in a statement after Baloch’s meeting with Bass.
“The Foreign Secretary noted the importance attached by Pakistan to its relations with the United States. She underlined the need to upgrade the bilateral mechanisms, especially in the economic and defense fields, and working toward building a broad based and meaningful bilateral relationship.”
The statement said Bass thanked Baloch for the opportunity to “engage substantively on issues of mutual interest.”
“He said the US desires to partner with Pakistan in its efforts to strengthen and stabilize the economy,” the foreign office said. “He expressed appreciation for the resilience shown by Pakistan in the face of recent challenges like floods and terrorist attacks.”
