WASHINGTON :Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said Pakistan and the United States moved closer to a mutually beneficial trade agreement, which is likely to be finalised in days.Speaking at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington following his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said: “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 days,” Ishaq Dar said.He also underlined the need for a sustainable architecture of peace in South Asia and said the United States as a global power and a partner has a constructive and stabilising role to play.
Talking about ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, he said the US emerged as the credible arbiter of peace and stability in South Asia. He thanked US President Trump for facilitating ceasefire between India and Pakistan.“We are committed to sustaining the ceasefire unlike our neighbour. We believe in peace and we never escalated as the first mover and we only acted in self-defence according to the United Nations charter,” he explained.
He said Pakistan’s relationship with the United States was enduring, wide ranging and evolving.
“It has proved to be a consequential partnership whenever the two countries converged on global issues. We are encouraged by the upward trajectory in our bilateral partnership since President Trump assumed office.”He said he held a very productive meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the two sides agreed on our shared commitment to deepen and broaden relations between Pakistan and the United States.
“Our nations are coming closer and we have already made progress in relations in the span of six months.”