Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on July 25–26 to advance cooperation on counterterrorism, trade and critical minerals.
- Ishaq Dar told the Atlantic Council that a bilateral trade accord could be finalized in days, while US statements made no mention of timing.
- Both sides recommitted to bolstering joint efforts against ISIS-K and laid groundwork for an August US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in Islamabad.
- Rubio praised Pakistan’s role in mediating talks with Iran and acknowledged Islamabad’s contribution to securing the May India-Pakistan ceasefire.
- Negotiations also emphasized expanding collaboration in critical minerals and mining and discussed Pakistan’s appeal to resolve the Kashmir dispute under UN resolutions.