ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a meeting with US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker on Tuesday, reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to work with the Trump administration to strengthen bilateral ties.

PM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan’s interest in expanding cooperation in trade, information technology, agriculture, health, education, and energy.

He also stressed the importance of counterterrorism collaboration, particularly in addressing threats posed by the militant Islamic State and the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Ms Baker assured him that the US administration would work with Pak­istan to advance shared objectives and strengthen bilateral relations.

No high-level contacts at the leadership level have occurred between Islam­­a­bad and Washing­ton since Trump returned to the White House last month, reflecting Pakis­tan’s diminished strategic importance to Wa­s­hington amid shifting regional dynamics and gro­wing strategic divergence between the countries.

Cabinet meeting

The prime minister also chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet on Tuesday.

The meeting was apprised that the e-Office, to make government departments paperless, has been implemented in 98 per cent of federal government divisions, with 100 per cent implementation in 39 of them.

PM Shehbaz directed the officials to implement e-Office in all federal ministries and departments by March, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The PM briefed the cabinet about the letter sent to him by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammed bin Salman.

The Saudi crown prince informed him about the renewal of the Saudi Development Fund’s $100 million per month deferred payment for petroleum products for another year.

The cabinet approved the signing of an international legal agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the protection and sustainable use of diverse marine resources in international waters.

It appointed Kamran Jahangir as MD of the National Book Foundation and Dr Shahid Aslam Mirza as MD of the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority.

Earlier, in a meeting with World Bank’s executive directors, the PM hailed the cooperation of the global lender for key development projects.

He said the recent Country Partnership Framework of the World Bank included an investment of $40 billion in Pakistan, which was highly encouraging.

With $20 billion allocated for various projects in health, education, youth development, and other social sectors, a new chapter of progress would begin in Pakistan, he added.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025