ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Monday explored opportunities to bolster their economic and security partnership.

A statement issued by the US embassy in Islamabad on the meetings of the visiting US Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir said discussions were held on “approaches to expanding bilateral cooperation on economic and security issues, including countering terrorism and violent extremism, and the importance of fostering regional stability and prosperity”.

Bass is accompanied on the trip by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst.

Economy and security are the two areas in which Pakistan has lately been pushing for enhanced cooperation with US as these are the two most pressing challenges facing the country currently, which the government intends to address through external support.

Pakistan is keen about garnering support to address the challenge of terrorism, particularly the one posed by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).But at the same time, it relies heavily on US for its support at IMF. Pakistan had recently reached out to the US again due to the delays in the approval of the $7bn Extended Fund Facility that has been pending for months.

Last week, IMF finally put Pakistan on the agenda of its board meeting scheduled for Sept 25.

The transit of Afghan refugees, who are destined for the US through Pakistan, is another issue on the table. Washington is generally not satisfied with Pakistan’s cooperation on this matter that started with Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

However, in a diplomatically couched statement, the US embassy said: “Under Secretary Bass expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s continued cooperation in assisting Afghans in resettlement pathways to the US.”

Bass expressed US interest in working closely with Pakistan during its upcoming 2025-26 tenure at the Security Council as non-permanent member.

The FO said Pakistan-US ties and ongoing collaboration projects were discussed during US delegation’s meeting with Mr Dar.

The foreign minister, the FO said, during the discussion underlined the importance of positive and productive engagement between Pakistan and the United States.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2024