ISLAMABAD: Plan­n­ing Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday called for a reset in US-Pakistan relations, urging a shift tow­ards a development-focu­sed partnership anchored in trust and grounded in new geopolitical realities.

Mr Iqbal’s comments came during a meeting with a visiting bipartisan US congressional delegation, the first high-level group from Capitol Hill to visit Pakistan in almost two years.

The delegation comprised Congressmen Jack Bergman, Tom Suozzi and Jonathan Jackson. Mr Suozzi heads the Pakistan Caucus at the Congress.

“In the realities of new geopolitics, there is a need to establish a new equilibrium in Pak-US relations,” Mr Iqbal said, according to an official readout. “It must be based on the ground realities, mutual trust and a development-focused partnership.”

The minister stressed the need for a deeper US understanding of Pakistan’s socio-economic challenges, citing the long-term fallout from two decades of conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan.

He noted that Pakistan had absorbed more than 3.5 million refugees over the past three decades and faced serious social consequences, including extremism, drug trafficking and arms proliferation.

The minister emphasised a forward-looking agenda centred on education, infrastructure, energy, climate change and digital innovation. He called Pakistan’s information technology sector its “most promising field”, led by a skilled and youthful population.

“Pakistan has emerged as the third-largest supplier of freelance IT professionals globally,” he said, enco­uraging US investment in the sector.

The delegation invited Mr Iqbal to participate in a seminar on promoting US-Pakistan relations in Wash­ington on April 30. Earlier, the dele­gation met with Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch for official-level talks.

“The two sides resolved to further strengthen and diversify bilateral relations in the areas of mutual interest,” the Foreign Office said in a statement after the meeting.

The congressional visit, running from April 10 to 15, is the first of its kind since US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Pakistan in February 2023. During the trip, the lawmakers are expected to meet Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership and political figures and travel to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Kartarpur Corridor.

Led by Reps Bergman and Suozzi, the visit comes amid a complex moment in US Congress-Pakistan rela­tions. Congress has taken an increa­singly vocal stance on human rights and democratic backsliding in Pakistan, particularly after the country’s controversial 2024 general elections.

A House resolution introduced by Rep Greg Casar (a Democrat from Texas) called for the release of political prisoners, including former prime minister Imran Khan — a move that drew sharp reactions in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, Congressman Joe Wilson, alongside Representative Jimmy Panetta, have tabled the “Pakistan Democracy Act”, a bipartisan bill aimed at sanctioning Pakistan’s military leaders for alleged human rights violations and political persecution.

The bill leverages the Global Magn­itsky Human Rights Accou­ntability Act to propose visa bans and entry restrictions within 180 days unless Pakistan ‘restores’ civilian-led democracy and releases political detainees.

Still, officials on both sides have signalled a desire to focus on common ground. There have been indications prior to the trip that the delegation aimed to prioritise constructive engagement over contentious issues.

Mr Iqbal echoed that approach, stating that Pakistan was committed to working with global partners to build a prosperous future. “As an emerging democracy, Pakistan is going through important phases of development,” he said.

“We stand ready to work closely with our international partners.”

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2025