Islamabad:
The Trump administration, through its acting ambassador to Islamabad, transmitted to Pakistan that the United States would work with “the pursuit of common objectives” to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
The message was given to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by American affairs Natalie Baker, who met him on Tuesday. It was the first official contact between the two parties since President Donald Trump took care of the White House a month ago.
While recalling the history of close cooperation for decades between the two countries, according to an official document published by the Prime Minister’s office, Shehbaz reaffirmed the strong desire of Pakistan to work closely with the Trump administration to strengthen More bilateral links.
The Prime Minister underlined the need to improve trade, as well as cooperation in the fields of information technology (TI), agriculture, health, education and energy, between other areas of mutual interest.
He also underlined the need for the two countries to continue their close cooperation in the field of the fight against terrorism, in particular, to face the threat posed by Daesh and Fitna Al Khawaraj – a term used for terrorists belonging to The Tehrek-E-contraded. Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The American diplomat thanked the Prime Minister for having received him and said that the new administration would work with Pakistan in the pursuit of common objectives aimed at strengthening the bilateral relationship, according to the official press release.
Pakistan, which was once known as the “most ally” allance in the United States, is no longer a priority for the American administration. While President Trump has already welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the days following his inauguration, he has not yet spoken to the Pakistani Prime Minister.
But Tuesday’s visit to the American diplomat suggested that something could cook, as otherwise, the Prime Minister rarely received the Diplomatic Mission Chief.
Although the Pakistani party has expressed its desire to work closely with the Trump administration, Islamabad is wary of certain policies of the new US government. He is particularly concerned about the suspension of the Afghan refugee settlement program because thousands of these Afghans are struck in Pakistan.
As part of the understanding of the previous Biden administration, Pakistan had agreed to authorize thousands of Afghans, who worked for the United States during its campaign in Afghanistan, to stay in the country before their resettlement with the UNITED STATES.
However, the transfer process of these Afghans to the United States has been atrociously slow. The Biden administration had agreed to complete the settlement process by September 2025. But President Trump interrupted the process at least for 90 days thanks to a decree.
Pakistan fears that at least 25,000 Afghans, which were supposed to be taken to the United States could not remain permanently in the country. Islamabad wants the process to be accelerated. The press release published by the Prime Minister did not suggest whether the problem was subject to discussions. But sources said it was one of the discussion points.
